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Israel to spend $730m on propaganda as global image collapses over Gaza genocide

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This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

An aerial view from Sheikh Ridwan in Gaza City, Gaza, shows the heavy destruction left behind after the Israeli army withdraws following a ceasefire agreement, on October 25, 2025. [Mahmoud Abu Hamda – Anadolu Agency]

Israel is preparing to spend nearly three-quarters of a billion dollars on its propaganda apparatus, in a sign of growing alarm in Tel Aviv over its collapse in global standing following the genocide in Gaza and expanding wars across the region.

According to The Jerusalem Post, Israel’s public diplomacy budget, known in Hebrew as hasbara, has risen to $730 million, more than four times the $150 million allocated the previous year. That earlier sum was itself reportedly around 20 times higher than Israel’s pre-2023 spending on such efforts. 

The vast increase was included in Israel’s national budget passed in March and will be directed through the national public diplomacy directorate, which oversees efforts to shape foreign public opinion.

The surge in propaganda spending comes as Israel is increasingly seen by critics and human rights organisations as a pariah state. 

The budget increase appears to reflect Israeli fears that the country’s ability to rely on Western political cover may be weakening. This is particularly true in the US, Israel’s most important ally and arms supplier, where public support has fallen sharply. 

A Pew Research Center poll published in April found that 60 per cent of US adults now hold an unfavourable view of Israel, up from 53 per cent last year and nearly 20 points higher than in 2022. Only 37 per cent view Israel favourably. 

The shift cuts across important sections of US society. Pew found that 80 per cent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents now view Israel unfavourably, while 57 per cent of Republicans under 50 also hold a negative view. 

READ: Fatah says 63% of Gaza now under Israeli control

Gallup has recorded a similar trend. Its February survey found that American sympathy is no longer clearly with Israel, with 41 per cent saying they sympathise more with Palestinians and 36 per cent with Israelis. Gallup said Israel’s favourable rating had fallen close to its historical low, while ratings of the Palestinian Territories had reached a new high.

The crisis has triggered open concern inside Israel’s own policy establishment. The Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv has warned of a “deepening crisis” in Israel’s standing in the US, pointing to declining support among younger Americans, Democrats, younger Republicans and parts of the Jewish community. 

A separate report cited growing diplomatic and public opinion isolation and warned of a “creeping economic boycott”, as businesses, academic institutions and civil society organisations become more reluctant to maintain ties with Israel.

Israel’s foreign ministry has responded by expanding its messaging machinery. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has overseen the creation of a dedicated unit to shape international narratives, while funds have reportedly been channelled into digital campaigns, foreign delegations, influencer outreach and pro-Israel advocacy networks. 

Israel hired a firm linked to former Trump campaign strategist Brad Parscale to run a pro-Israel social media campaign, with Israel having paid the firm $9 million and renewed the contract.

Reports have also pointed to a centralised “media war room” tracking coverage of Israel across hundreds of outlets and monitoring thousands of daily references. Additional spending has reportedly been directed towards evangelical networks, private public relations firms and campaigns aimed at universities, influencers and young audiences.

The scale of the spending suggests that Israel views its deteriorating image not merely as a public relations problem, but as a strategic threat. Israel’s military dominance has long depended on the political, diplomatic and military support of Western governments, especially Washington. If Western publics increasingly view Israel as a genocidal, apartheid and expansionist state, sustaining unconditional support becomes harder for elected leaders.

READ: Israel launches propaganda blitz targeting US churches, influencers and AI

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Orcas discuss how Trump was re-elected and him being an obviously insane, xenophobic Fascist.
Orcas discuss how Trump was re-elected and him being an obviously insane, xenophobic Fascist.

Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.

Continue ReadingIsrael to spend $730m on propaganda as global image collapses over Gaza genocide

‘Desperately Bouncing From One Extreme to Another’: Trump Pauses ‘Project Freedom’ in Strait of Hormuz

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Article by Jake Johnson republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

US President Donald Trump speaks flanked by top administration officials at the White House in Washington, DC on March 26, 2026.(Photo by Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

An Iranian official said Trump’s operation “failed completely” and that Iran “will not participate in direct negotiations until the United States formally announces the end of the blockade.”

US President Donald Trump announced late Tuesday that he is putting his administration’s scheme to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz on hold after just one full day, a decision that came hours after top American officials touted the president’s so-called “Project Freedom” at press briefings.

Trump said in a social media post that he paused the project—which allowed just two commercial ships to pass through the strait—“based on the request of Pakistan and other countries.” The US president, whose war of choice is historically unpopular with the American public, also asserted that “Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran,” a claim that Iran rejected.

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As Pakistan’s prime minister welcomed Trump’s announcement, an unnamed Iranian official told Drop Site’s Jeremy Scahill that the US president’s short-lived operation “failed completely” and that his statement announcing the pause of Project Freedom was “riddled with falsehoods.” The official added that “we will not participate in direct negotiations until the United States formally announces the end of the blockade.”

The US president said in his post that the illegal US naval blockade of Iran would “remain in full force and effect.”

“Trump is desperately bouncing from one extreme to another,” said political scientist Robert Pape in response to Trump’s announcement.

Trump’s decision to put Project Freedom on hold came shortly after Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio hailed the president’s initiative as a bold mission to rescue some 1,600 vessels stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran closed in response to the unlawful US-Israeli war and subsequent naval blockade.

“Iran’s plan, a form of international extortion, is unacceptable. That ends with Project Freedom,” Hegseth declared during a press briefing on Tuesday morning.

Rubio similarly decried Iran’s actions in the Strait of Hormuz—located in Omani and Iranian territorial waters—as violations of international law.

“There is no international law that allows you to say: I’m going to put mines in an international body of water, and I’m going to blow up ships that don’t listen to us and try to go through,” said Rubio.

Legal scholar Maryam Jamshidi rejected the top US diplomat’s assessment, calling it “all wrong.”

“Hormuz is not international waters,” Jamshidi wrote. “It’s an international strait composed of the territorial waters of Iran and Oman. Iran can mine its territorial waters during wartime. The laws of naval warfare also allow Iran to target ships in certain cases. The US is the only criminal here.”

Article by Jake Johnson republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.

Continue Reading‘Desperately Bouncing From One Extreme to Another’: Trump Pauses ‘Project Freedom’ in Strait of Hormuz

1 in 5 amputees in Gaza is a child, UN warns amid prosthetic care crisis

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This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

12 years old Palestinian Mohammed al-Mubayyid, who lost a leg in an Israeli attack on Gaza’s Al-Zeitoun neighborhood, is seen on a wheelchair in Gaza Strip on December 03, 2025. [Saeed M. M. T. Jaras – Anadolu Agency]

The UN on Monday warned that one in five amputees in the Gaza Strip is a child, as a critical shortage of prosthetic specialists and restricted entry of materials leave thousands without adequate care, Anadolu reports.

“On health, concerns remain over skin diseases and other medical issues linked to the presence of pests and rodents,” said UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric at a news conference, adding that more than 6,600 people need prosthetic and rehabilitation care.

“That includes thousands of people who have received amputations since October 2023, yet only eight prosthetic technicians are available to respond,” he said.

Warning that “with severe shortages of specialists and restricted entry of prosthetic materials, it could take five years or more to meet today’s needs,” Dujarric stressed that “one in five amputees is a child.”

Dujarric stressed that “international prosthetic technicians are urgently needed, as well as the unimpeded entry of prosthetic materials, which remain restricted by the Israeli authorities.”

Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2007, leaving the territory’s 2.4 million people on the verge of starvation.

It launched a brutal two-year offensive on Gaza in October 2023, killing more than 72,000 people, injuring over 172,000, and causing massive destruction across the besieged territory.

READ: Gaza is the world’s most dangerous place for journalists, UN rights body says

Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer says that he's banning words and phrases now as well as placards.
Keir Starmer says that he’s banning words and phrases now as well as placards.

Continue Reading1 in 5 amputees in Gaza is a child, UN warns amid prosthetic care crisis

Israel targets southern Lebanon with internationally banned phosphorus shells

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This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

Smoke rises from the town of Kafr Jouz in Nabatieh province as Israeli forces target the area, violating the ceasefire in southern Lebanon on May 2, 2026. Ramiz Dallah – Anadolu Agency]

The Israeli army shelled towns in southern Lebanon with phosphorus munitions Tuesday, according to the National News Agency NNA.

The agency reported that the towns of Kounine and Beit Yahoun in the Bint Jbeil district were targeted with artillery shells containing phosphorus, which are banned internationally.

Israeli warplanes separately carried out airstrikes on the towns of Kafra, Braachit and Safad al-Battikh in the Tyre district, said the report.

Additional strikes hit Beit al-Sayyad and Mansouri, where three raids targeted residential homes, according to the agency.

No casualties were reported.

Despite a ceasefire that was announced April 17 and extended until May 17, the Israeli army continues daily strikes in Lebanon and widespread demolition of homes in dozens of villages.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Tuesday that the death toll from Israeli attacks since March 2 has reached 2,702, with 8,311 injured.

READ: Berri: No negotiations with Israel before end of fighting in southern Lebanon

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer says that he's banning words and phrases now as well as placards.
Keir Starmer says that he’s banning words and phrases now as well as placards.

Continue ReadingIsrael targets southern Lebanon with internationally banned phosphorus shells

UAE says Iran targeted ADNOC tanker with drones in Strait of Hormuz

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This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

UAE Minister of State and ADNOC Group CEO, Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, speaks during the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibion and Conference (ADIPEC) on 13 November 2017 [Karim Sahib/AFP via Getty Images]

The United Arab Emirates said Iran targeted one of its oil tankers with drones while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz, condemning the incident as a “terrorist attack”.

In a statement, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the vessel, operated by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), was struck by two drones as it passed through the strait.

ADNOC confirmed that its crude oil tanker Barakah was involved in the incident off the coast of Oman, adding that no injuries were reported among the crew.

The company said the tanker was not carrying any cargo at the time of the attack.

READ: Iran had no plan to target UAE, senior military official says

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer says that he's banning words and phrases now as well as placards.
Keir Starmer says that he’s banning words and phrases now as well as placards.

Continue ReadingUAE says Iran targeted ADNOC tanker with drones in Strait of Hormuz