Israel’s global standing trails security concerns ahead of election

Israel’s deteriorating international image has drawn concern at home, but analysts say it remains a secondary consideration for voters heading into the October 27 election. Security, the aftermath of the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led terror attack and divisions over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are taking precedence over questions about the country’s standing abroad.

Israeli media have reported several incidents involving Israelis overseas in recent months. Tourists in Montenegro were reportedly confronted in July by people accusing them of taking a holiday from genocide. An Israeli woman said a Greek restaurant denied her service because of her nationality, while a mother reported that she and her daughter were beaten in Thailand after identifying themselves as Israeli. A couple checking into a California hotel were asked whether they were “baby killers.”

The accounts accompany broader evidence of unfavorable attitudes. A Pew survey conducted between February and May found that a median of 67% of adults across 36 countries viewed Israel unfavorably. More world leaders have described Israel’s military operations in Gaza as disproportionate. Israeli government policies and unchecked settler violence in the West Bank have also led some countries, including allies, to distance themselves or impose sanctions.

Yaakov Katz, a senior fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that criticism of the government’s efforts to explain Israeli actions internationally has not translated into a major electoral concern. He said many Israelis accept Netanyahu’s argument that hostility is rooted in antisemitism and would persist regardless of Israeli policy. Katz warned that the average Israeli does not fully appreciate the potential consequences of declining support, particularly in the United States, while taking reassurance from developments such as President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Netanyahu.

Ofir Dayan, a senior fellow at Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies, said Israelis are aware of and troubled by hostility abroad. After more than three years of war, however, other concerns carry greater weight. “Israeli voters are very much one-issue voters, and the issue in this election is security,” she said. Former Israel Defense Forces international spokesman Peter Lerner similarly told JTA that foreign standing ranks behind divisions over Netanyahu and between the left and right.

Few of the roughly dozen parties expected to enter the Knesset have addressed the country’s image or outlined public diplomacy proposals. B’Yachad, led by former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, has proposed a non-voting parliamentary observer focused on Diaspora Jewish issues as part of efforts to repair relations with world Jewry. Amcha Yisrael, the new right-wing party led by former IDF Brig. Gen. Ofer Winter, includes public diplomacy activists Yoseph Haddad and Fleur Hassan-Nahoum among its candidates. Haddad has repeatedly expressed interest in becoming public diplomacy minister.

Speaking on JTA’s “Waiting for 61” podcast, journalist and former government spokesman Eylon Levy said candidates generally approach public diplomacy through the question of how international relationships can advance national interests. He described the far-right Otzma Yehudit Party’s approach as emphasizing toughness, while criticizing expectations on the left that more moderate conduct would quickly restore normal relations.

Levy said a change of government would be unlikely to transform international perceptions immediately, given shifts in public opinion and policymakers’ expectations. He nevertheless suggested that a more moderate administration could receive a grace period and gain goodwill from countries that profess support for Israel.