---
title: Israel, current government under Benjamin Netanyahu
url: https://propagandaarchive.org/regimes/israel-government-current/
description: The Israeli government sworn in on 29 December 2022 under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the 37th government, was still in office on 2 October 2026…
section: FRAME
---

![Illustration: a redacted Cold War intelligence-dossier collage centred on a world map of influence operations, with the U.S. Capitol among the evidence.](https://propagandaarchive.org/static/generated/hero-home.jpg)

[Regimes](https://propagandaarchive.org/regimes/)

# Israel, current government under Benjamin Netanyahu

At a glance

The 37th government of Israel, formed on 29 December 2022 under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; this page gives the roster as of 2 October 2026, before the Knesset election of 27 October 2026.

- **Period:** December 2022 to present
- **Country:** Israel
- **Leader:** [Benjamin Netanyahu](https://propagandaarchive.org/regimes/israel-government-current/#benjamin-netanyahu)
- **People listed:** 11
- **As of:** October 2, 2026
- **Techniques:** [Disclosure theater](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/disclosure-theater/) [Astroturfing](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/astroturf/) [Narrative laundering](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/narrative-laundering/) [Synthetic media](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/synthetic-media/)

[View all 1 propaganda object from this regime](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/#regime=israel-government-current,netanyahu-government&leader=benjamin-netanyahu)

On this page

- [The leader and the people under the leader](https://propagandaarchive.org/regimes/israel-government-current/#the-leader-and-the-people-under-the-leader)
- [Background and rise to power](https://propagandaarchive.org/regimes/israel-government-current/#background-and-rise-to-power)
- [How power was organized](https://propagandaarchive.org/regimes/israel-government-current/#how-power-was-organized)
- [The propaganda apparatus](https://propagandaarchive.org/regimes/israel-government-current/#the-propaganda-apparatus)
- [Timeline](https://propagandaarchive.org/regimes/israel-government-current/#timeline)
- [Same-standard note](https://propagandaarchive.org/regimes/israel-government-current/#same-standard-note)
- [Sources](https://propagandaarchive.org/regimes/israel-government-current/#sources)
- [In the archive](https://propagandaarchive.org/regimes/israel-government-current/#in-the-archive)

**In one line:** The Israeli government sworn in on 29 December 2022 under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the 37th government, was still in office on 2 October 2026, 25 days before the Knesset election set for 27 October 2026.

## The leader and the people under the leader

Roster as of October 2, 2026. Offices and office-holders change; this page is a dated snapshot.

- ![Benjamin Netanyahu, official portrait, February 2023](https://propagandaarchive.org/regimes/images/israel-government-current/benjamin-netanyahu.jpg) — [Photo](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Benjamin_Netanyahu_Portrait_February_2023_(3x4_cropped).jpg): Avi Ohayon, Government Press Office of Israel, CC BY-SA 3.0 — Benjamin Netanyahu — Prime Minister of Israel · 1996 to 1999, 2009 to 2021 and 2022 to present — Benjamin Netanyahu: Read more — Heads the government and chairs the cabinet; the Prime Minister's Office houses the National Public Diplomacy Directorate, the Government Press Office and the Government Advertising Agency. — In their words — > “Hamas uses civilians as human shields and as props in its sick propaganda war against Israel. A propaganda war that the Western media buys hook, line and sinker.” > > Address to the UN General Assembly, 80th session, 26 September 2025 (English text as published by the Jewish Virtual Library) [source](https://jewishvirtuallibrary.org/prime-minister-netanyahu-s-2025-un-general-assembly-speech) — > “But there's an eighth front to this war. It's the war for truth. It is waged in the world's media and, most perniciously, on social media. Several foreign countries have spent untold billions to spread lies about my country.” > > Address to the UN General Assembly, 81st session, 24 September 2026 (English text as published by the Jewish Virtual Library; reported by UN News the same day) [source](https://jewishvirtuallibrary.org/politics-wing/peace-process/international-relations-and-aid-international-statements-and-resolutions/prime-minister-netanyahus-2026-un-general-assembly-speech) — > “Accusing Israel of genocide is the greatest lie of the century.” > > Address to the UN General Assembly, 81st session, 24 September 2026 (English text as published by the Jewish Virtual Library; reported by UN News the same day) [source](https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/09/1168431)

### Cabinet

- ![Gideon Sa'ar, 10 December 2025](https://propagandaarchive.org/regimes/images/israel-government-current/gideon-saar.jpg) — [Photo](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2025_Gideon_Sa%E2%80%99ar_(cropped).jpg): U.S. Department of State (Freddie Everett), Public domain (U.S. federal government work) — Gideon Sa'ar — Minister of Foreign Affairs · November 2024 to present — Gideon Sa'ar: Read more — Leads the Foreign Ministry, which conducts diplomacy and, since a government decision around the end of 2025, has its own public diplomacy directorate. — In their words — > “Israel's hasbara [public diplomacy] efforts and consciousness warfare have for decades not received the critical and life-saving resources and tools they require. I am determined to make a change. Every shekel devoted to this cause is an investment, not an expense, and will strengthen Israel and its standing in the world.” > > Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, statement on the Foreign Ministry's public-diplomacy budget, as quoted by the Times of Israel, 29 December 2024 (the bracketed gloss is the newspaper's) [source](https://www.timesofisrael.com/foreign-ministry-to-receive-massive-budget-for-public-diplomacy-abroad/) — > “Our enemies are investing huge sums against us in this. Israel has acted with very modest means and must now both increase resources and adopt new and up-to-date methods. The amounts approved are still modest in relation to the challenges that Israel faces in the world, but this is a significant breakthrough.” > > Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar on the 2026 budget approved with Finance Minister Smotrich, as quoted by the Jerusalem Post, 6 December 2025 [source](https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-879369) — > “We had a major breakthrough this year, but we must as a country invest much much more. It should be like investing in jets, bombs, and missile interceptors. In the face of what's arrayed against us and what's invested against us, it's far from enough. This is an existential issue.” > > Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, as quoted by the Times of Israel, 30 April 2026 [source](https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-just-quintupled-its-pr-budget-to-730-million-experts-say-it-wont-work/)
- ![Israel Katz, 27 February 2024](https://propagandaarchive.org/regimes/images/israel-government-current/israel-katz.jpg) — [Photo](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Israel_Katz_in_2024_(cropped).jpg): Michael Gruber, Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs (BMEIA), CC BY 2.0 — Israel Katz — Minister of Defense · November 2024 to present — Israel Katz: Read more — Leads the Defence Ministry, which oversees the Israel Defense Forces, and ordered the closure of Army Radio, a decision the High Court struck down on 20 August 2026. — In their words — > “The continued operation of the station involves the IDF, against its will, in the political discourse and severely damages its status as the people's army.” > > Defence Minister Israel Katz announcing his order to close Army Radio, 14 November 2025, as quoted by JNS [source](https://www.jns.org/defense-minister-orders-army-radio-closed-cites-politicized-broadcasts/) — > “The High Court placed its judgment above that of the elected government ministers, who unanimously believed there was no place for a civilian radio station with political content within the IDF.” > > Defence Minister Israel Katz on the High Court's ruling of 20 August 2026 striking down the Army Radio closure, as quoted by the Jerusalem Post [source](https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-906135)
- ![Bezalel Smotrich, 20 February 2023](https://propagandaarchive.org/regimes/images/israel-government-current/bezalel-smotrich.jpg) — [Photo](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bezalel_Smotrich_(cropped)(2).jpg): Avi Ohayon, Government Press Office of Israel, CC BY-SA 3.0 — Bezalel Smotrich — Minister of Finance and Minister in the Defense Ministry · 2022 to present — Bezalel Smotrich: Read more — Holds the finance portfolio, which with the foreign minister approved the 2026 public-diplomacy budget, and a second post as a minister in the Defence Ministry. — In their words — > “We are allocating a huge budget to strengthen the army this year, but also one that allows us to return the State of Israel to a path of growth and relief for citizens.” > > Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on the 2026 budget, 'according to his office', as quoted by the Jerusalem Post, 6 December 2025 [source](https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-879369)

### Media and communications

- ![Shlomo Karhi, 6 April 2021](https://propagandaarchive.org/regimes/images/israel-government-current/shlomo-karhi.jpg) — [Photo](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shlomo_Karhi_(SHL_8894).jpg): Shlomi Amsalem, Knesset Archives, CC BY-SA 4.0 — Shlomo Karhi — Minister of Communications · 2022 to present — Shlomo Karhi: Read more — Regulates broadcasting and telecommunications, sponsored the broadcasting law passed on 16 to 17 July 2026 and is the respondent in High Court petitions over appointments to the Kan council. — In their words — > “brings freedom to the public, removes the chains of propaganda from the consciousness of Israel's citizens, and allows them to choose whom they watch.” > > Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi on his broadcasting reform law, as quoted by the Jerusalem Post, 16 July 2026 (the Post's quotation begins mid-sentence) [source](https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-902758)
- ![Golan Yochpaz, 29 March 2023](https://propagandaarchive.org/regimes/images/israel-government-current/golan-yochpaz.jpg) — [Photo](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Golan_Yochpaz.jpg): Avishag Shaar-Yashuv, Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, CC BY-SA 4.0 — Golan Yochpaz — Director General of Kan, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation · November 2022 to present — Golan Yochpaz: Read more — Runs the public broadcaster, whose council is chosen by a search committee; his four-year term ends on 6 November 2026 unless a court-ordered or council extension is made.

### Public diplomacy

- ![Amichai Chikli, 21 February 2025](https://propagandaarchive.org/regimes/images/israel-government-current/amichai-chikli.jpg) — [Photo](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amichai_Chikli_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg): Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0 — Amichai Chikli — Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism · 2022 to present — Amichai Chikli: Read more — Leads the ministry for relations with Jewish communities abroad and for combating antisemitism, which the New York Times reported in 2024 had funded the STOIC network; the ministry denies it. — In their words — > “The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism does not engage in disinformation campaigns. Any claim about a connection between the firm and the Stoic company is without foundation.” > > Ministry spokesman to JNS, 5 June 2024, answering the New York Times report on the STOIC campaign (as published by The Jewish Chronicle; the two sentences are quoted separately there). The ministry's minister is Amichai Chikli. [source](https://www.thejc.com/news/israel/israeli-minister-denies-reports-the-government-ran-covert-influence-campaign-on-us-politicians-uy5gj4fq) — In the archive: [Israel's Strategic Affairs Ministry paid for news content, and a later ministry's STOIC campaign aimed at U.S. lawmakers](https://propagandaarchive.org/case-studies/israel-strategic-affairs-paid-content/)
- ![Tzipi Hotovely, 18 September 2017](https://propagandaarchive.org/regimes/images/israel-government-current/tzipi-hotovely.jpg) — [Photo](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tzipi_Hotovely,_September_2017_(5235)_(cropped).jpg): Mark Neyman, Government Press Office of Israel, CC BY-SA 3.0 — Tzipi Hotovely — Head of the National Public Diplomacy Directorate, Prime Minister's Office · May 2026 to present — Tzipi Hotovely: Read more — Leads the directorate that coordinates the government's public diplomacy from the Prime Minister's Office, a post vacant from May 2024 until the cabinet approved her appointment on 26 April 2026.
- No public-domain or openly licensed portrait of him alone found. Nearest: [source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mr._HE_Naor_Gilon_,_ambassador_of_the_state_of_Israel_to_India.jpg), CC BY 4.0, a 2024 book-fair event photograph with several people in frame whose identification rests on the Commons file title; not hosted. — Naor Gilon — Head of the Foreign Ministry Public Diplomacy Directorate · Late 2025 to present — Naor Gilon: Read more — Heads the Foreign Ministry's public diplomacy directorate, a veteran diplomat and former ambassador to India, Italy and the Netherlands.
- No public-domain or openly licensed portrait of the Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson found on Wikimedia Commons (the search returns only unrelated people with the same surname). Nearest: none; the ministry's own images (gov.il) could not be reached from the research environment. — Oren Marmorstein — Chief Spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry · Start date not verified — Oren Marmorstein: Read more — Speaks for the Foreign Ministry to the press and on social media, including Israel's reaction to statements by other governments.

### Army

- ![Effie Defrin, 6 July 2021](https://propagandaarchive.org/regimes/images/israel-government-current/effie-defrin.jpg) — [Photo](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Effi_Defrin,_July_2021_(cropped).jpg): U.S. Embassy Jerusalem, CC BY 2.0 — Effie Defrin — IDF Spokesperson · March 2025 to present — Effie Defrin: Read more — Brigadier General who leads the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, the army's channel to the press and public, after Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari. — In their words — > “My mission, whose main purpose is clear to me beyond any doubt, is to do whatever is necessary to strengthen public trust in the IDF, trust that constitutes a significant foundation for the army's resilience, for establishing its power, and for ensuring our future here.” > > Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin on taking office as IDF Spokesperson, 27 March 2025, as quoted by the Times of Israel [source](https://www.timesofisrael.com/entering-role-new-idf-spokesman-effie-defrin-seeks-to-bolster-trust-in-army/)

## Background and rise to power

Israel is a parliamentary democracy with a 120-seat Knesset, a president who is head of state (Isaac Herzog) and a prime minister who heads the government and needs the Knesset's confidence. Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of Likud, was prime minister from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021. After the election of 1 November 2022, President Herzog gave him the task of forming a government on 13 November, and the Knesset swore in the 37th government on 29 December 2022. It was a coalition of Likud, Shas, United Torah Judaism and three parties of the religious and nationalist right (Religious Zionism, Otzma Yehudit and Noam).

![Benjamin Netanyahu, left, and President Isaac Herzog, right, hold a dark folder bearing the Israeli state emblem between them](https://propagandaarchive.org/regimes/images/endings/israel-government-current-1.jpg)

President Isaac Herzog hands Benjamin Netanyahu the mandate to form a government, 13 November 2022; the 37th government was sworn in on 29 December 2022. [Source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Isaac_Herzog_assigned_the_task_of_forming_a_government_to_Benjamin_Netanyahu_MK,_November_2022_(KBG_GPO3233).jpg): Photo: Kobi Gideon / Government Press Office of Israel, CC BY-SA 3.0, 13 November 2022, CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).

This page gives the roster as of 2 October 2026. Changes since 2022: Israel Katz replaced Yoav Gallant as defence minister and Gideon Sa'ar became foreign minister in November 2024 (Eli Cohen and then Katz had held the foreign portfolio before him); Ron Dermer resigned as minister of strategic affairs on 11 November 2025 (Times of Israel); United Torah Judaism and Shas left the cabinet in July 2025 over the military draft law (Jewish Insider; France 24). On 17 July 2026 the Knesset voted 62 to 0 to dissolve itself, with Netanyahu voting in favour, and set the election for 27 October 2026 (JNS; Haaretz; Times of Israel). The government remains in office until a new one is sworn in. Netanyahu has been on trial since 2020 on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, which he denies; he asked President Herzog for a pardon in November 2025, and on 26 April 2026 Herzog said he would not decide on it yet and urged plea talks first (Bloomberg; Times of Israel). In November 2024 the International Criminal Court's Pre-Trial Chamber issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, which Israel rejects (ICC).

Pre-election polls in September 2026 showed a close race, with former chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party and Likud each polling in the low 20s in seats and the two blocs roughly level (Jerusalem Post, Haaretz). The result is not known as of this snapshot.

## How power was organized

Executive power sits with the cabinet under the prime minister. Foreign policy runs through Foreign Minister Sa'ar; Dermer, until he resigned, was Netanyahu's closest adviser and handled diplomacy with the United States, hostage negotiations and relations with Arab states (Times of Israel). The military sits under Defence Minister Katz and the chief of staff; Bezalel Smotrich holds the finance portfolio and a second post as minister in the Defence Ministry. Shlomo Karhi, as communications minister, regulates broadcasting. The courts, led by the High Court of Justice, review ministerial decisions and have ruled against the government on media matters (see below). The attorney general, Gali Baharav-Miara, advises the government; a law passed on 16 to 17 July 2026 and due to take effect in January 2027 lets ministers reject the attorney general's binding legal positions (Times of Israel).

![The glass-fronted entrance of a building under a sign reading, in Hebrew, 'Israeli Broadcasting Corporation' beside the Kan logo](https://propagandaarchive.org/regimes/images/endings/israel-government-current-2.jpg)

The entrance of the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (Kan) in Jerusalem, 2023. Under the 2014 Public Broadcasting Law its council is chosen through a search committee rather than appointed by ministers. [Source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%D7%91%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%99%D7%9F_%D7%94%D7%AA%D7%90%D7%92%D7%99%D7%93_%D7%91%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%A9%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%9D_I.jpg): Photo: Shai Epstein (שי אפשטיין) / Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, CC BY-SA 4.0, 26 June 2023, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).

![Chart with the President, Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Knesset on top, and five columns: Prime Minister's Office, foreign, finance and diaspora ministries, defence, courts and legal advisers, and broadcasting and press.](https://propagandaarchive.org/regimes/images/diagrams/israel-government-current-power-structure.png)

The offices and institutions of the current Israeli government as of 2 October 2026, simplified from the sources cited on this page. Source: FRAME diagram. Portraits, cropped to thumbnails: Photo: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, 21 February 2025, via Wikimedia Commons; Photo: Avi Ohayon / Government Press Office of Israel, CC BY-SA 3.0, 1 February 2023; Photo: Avi Ohayon / Government Press Office of Israel, CC BY-SA 3.0, 20 February 2023; Photo: U.S. Embassy Jerusalem, CC BY 2.0, 6 July 2021, via Wikimedia Commons; Official State Department photo by Freddie Everett, 10 December 2025; Photo: Avishag Shaar-Yashuv / Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, CC BY-SA 4.0, 29 March 2023; Photo: BMEIA / Michael Gruber (Austrian Foreign Ministry), CC BY 2.0, 27 February 2024; Photo: Shlomi Amsalem / Knesset Archives, CC BY-SA 4.0, 6 April 2021; Photo: Mark Neyman / Government Press Office of Israel, CC BY-SA 3.0, 18 September 2017, CC BY-SA 4.0 (composite; the CC BY-SA 3.0 portraits are adapted under the later version as that licence permits); other portraits: CC BY 2.0; Public domain (U.S. federal government work).

Two wars shaped the government's last years: the war that began with the Hamas-led attack of 7 October 2023, and, from 28 February 2026, a war with Iran that began with Israeli and U.S. strikes (Britannica). A ceasefire announced on 7 to 8 April 2026 broke down in July, and Britannica's summary describes the conflict as still active on 1 October 2026.

![Illustration: a vintage television control room with monitor banks, camera cables and cue sheets.](https://propagandaarchive.org/static/generated/graphics/tv-control-room.jpg)

Illustration, not an archive object

## The propaganda apparatus

**Offices in the Prime Minister's Office.** The National Public Diplomacy Directorate, vacant since Moshik Aviv resigned in May 2024, has been led since 5 May 2026 by Tzipi Hotovely, a former ambassador to the United Kingdom, whom the cabinet unanimously approved on 26 April 2026; the post of director of its staff was filled on 24 June 2026 by Noam Shapira (Jerusalem Post; Times of Israel). The Government Press Office, the unit that accredits Israeli and foreign journalists and coordinates between the government and the press, lost its director Nitzan Chen, in post since 2012, when he announced his departure on 22 January 2026; No report named a successor as of 2 October 2026. The Government Advertising Agency (LaPam), which buys advertising for ministries, appears in the 2026 state budget with about NIS 1.04 billion, almost all of it for buying advertising for every ministry, not only for public diplomacy (Budget Key, obudget.org).

[!['What would you do?' Israel Defense Forces infographic](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/what-would-you-do-idf-infographic-2012.jpg)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/what-would-you-do-idf-infographic-2012/)

['What would you do?' Israel Defense Forces infographic](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/what-would-you-do-idf-infographic-2012/), November 19, 2012. From the collection. An Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson's Unit social-media graphic of 19 November 2012, an earlier example of the army's own messaging.

[!['The trace of the Zionists in the Incident of Nine-eleven' khamenei.ir poster](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/khamenei-zionists-nine-eleven-poster-2018.jpg)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/khamenei-zionists-nine-eleven-poster-2018/)

['The trace of the Zionists in the Incident of Nine-eleven' khamenei.ir poster](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/khamenei-zionists-nine-eleven-poster-2018/), September 11, 2018. From the collection. A poster on the website of Iran's Supreme Leader, 11 September 2018, one strand of the messaging about Israel and 'Zionists' that comes from Iranian state-linked outlets; the 9/11 Commission attributed the attacks to al-Qaeda.

**Foreign Ministry.** Sa'ar made public diplomacy ("hasbara", Hebrew for explanation) a budget priority. On 6 December 2025 Finance Minister Smotrich and Sa'ar approved NIS 2.35 billion for public diplomacy in 2026, subject to Knesset approval (Jerusalem Post), and the Times of Israel put the 2026 total at about $730 million, against about $150 million in 2025 and about $7.5 million before 7 October 2023. A government decision around the end of 2025 created a Foreign Ministry public diplomacy directorate, which Sa'ar said would be headed like the ministry's political unit; Naor Gilon, a veteran diplomat, was named to lead it (Jerusalem Post; Ynet, whose copy I read carries no date). Oren Marmorstein is the ministry's chief spokesperson, and its director general is Eden Bar Tal. According to the Times of Israel, which cites "public filings, Knesset testimony, and Israeli business reporting", the 2025 allocation included about $50 million on advertising on platforms such as Google, YouTube and X, about $40 million for visits by some 400 foreign delegations, a $1.5-million-a-month contract with a firm owned by Brad Parscale for AI tools against online antisemitism, and a paid influencer network, the "Esther Project", with up to $900,000 routed through the firm Bridges Partners. A July 2026 report by the Quincy Institute, counted more than $1 billion of Israeli public-diplomacy spending since 7 October 2023 and 17 new registrations under the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) for Israeli interests in 2024 and 2025; those are the report's own figures, which differ from the Times of Israel's.

**Paid contractors abroad.** The Foreign Ministry and LaPam contracted the German arm of Havas Media Group, which engaged U.S. firms registered under FARA, among them Piro, Inc. (registration 7732, behind the Hanover Institute site), Clock Tower X (registration 7649, filed on 18 September 2025, reported at $6 million and later $9 million) and Bridges Partners (filed 26 September 2025) (FARA filings as reported by the Jerusalem Post, 404 Media, Responsible Statecraft and the transparency group Americans for Transparency). The Esther Project reportedly paid influencers about $7,000 per post; the group Public Citizen and the Quincy Institute asked the Justice Department to compel disclosure of the influencers' names, and one named influencer, Lizzy Savetsky, denied receiving payment. Israel's Foreign Ministry has told the Guardian that the state does not conduct influence operations in the United States and follows U.S. law; the registrations are public. The campaign write-up covers the Hanover Institute in detail.

**Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and the STOIC network, 2023 to 2024.** According to the New York Times (5 June 2024), the ministry set aside about $2 million for a campaign run by STOIC, a Tel Aviv political marketing firm, using hundreds of fake accounts posing as Americans to address U.S. lawmakers. Meta's first-quarter 2024 threat report (29 May 2024) says it removed an Israel-origin network of 510 Facebook accounts, 11 Pages, one Group and 32 Instagram accounts that posed as locals, including "Jewish students, African Americans and 'concerned' citizens", linked it to STOIC and banned the firm. OpenAI (30 May 2024) disrupted an operation it called "Zero Zeno", run by STOIC from Israel, and found its reach had not meaningfully increased. Meta and OpenAI name STOIC; only the New York Times reports the ministry link, and the ministry says: "The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism does not engage in disinformation campaigns." NPR's summary adds that Haaretz had reported in January 2024 that the government bought technology for online influence campaigns. The full account is in Israel's Strategic Affairs Ministry paid for news content, and a later ministry's STOIC campaign.

**Ministry of Strategic Affairs.** Created in 2006, the ministry was given the job of leading the campaign against the boycott movement (BDS), with an anti-BDS budget of NIS 44 million in 2016. In 2017 to 2019 it paid Israeli media groups for articles, supplements and conference panels labelled "in cooperation with" the ministry (+972 Magazine and The Seventh Eye, from freedom-of-information records). It was closed in August 2021 and brought back in December 2022 under Dermer, with a different remit. He resigned on 11 November 2025; some of his duties passed to Ambassador Yechiel Leiter; no report named a new minister for the portfolio as of 2 October 2026.

**IDF Spokesperson's Unit.** The army's own message unit is led by Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, who took office on 27 March 2025 from Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari. It runs the IDF's social-media channels and issues the army's statements, and the archive holds one of its products, the 2012 "What would you do?" infographic. Netanyahu told the UN on 24 September 2026 that Israel "sent millions of text messages warning civilians to leave combat areas", "made millions of phone calls" and "dropped millions of leaflets" in Gaza; critics of the conduct of the war dispute his account of its effects, and this page does not rule on that.

**Controls on broadcasters and press access.** On 1 April 2024 the Knesset passed, 71 to 10, a temporary law letting the government close foreign broadcasters it finds harmful to state security; on 5 May 2024 the cabinet ordered Al Jazeera's Israeli operations closed (Library of Congress), and the law was extended for two more years in December 2025 (Al Jazeera). Gaza has been closed to independent foreign press since 7 October 2023; the government told the High Court in January 2026 that the ban should stay for security reasons, and the Foreign Press Association's petition of September 2024 was still pending, after repeated postponements, as of the latest reporting (April 2026). On 22 December 2025 the cabinet approved closing Army Radio from 1 March 2026 after Katz said it served as "a platform for expressing opinions, many of which attack the IDF"; on 20 August 2026 the High Court unanimously struck the decision down, finding it rested partly on "improper and invalid" considerations. Justice Yechiel Kasher wrote that closing the station because the army should not run a current-affairs service could be legitimate, but that the government had not shown that this was its real reason, and the justices pointed to a March 2025 letter in which Karhi urged the closure as part of a shared "right-wing liberal agenda". Katz said the court "placed its judgment above that of the elected government ministers" and that the government would revisit the decision if re-elected (Jerusalem Post). On 16 to 17 July 2026 the Knesset passed Karhi's broadcasting law 53 to 48. It replaces the two commercial-broadcasting regulators with a single authority whose selection committee the Communications Ministry's director general would chair. Karhi says it breaks monopolies and opens the market to more voices. The attorney general warned it threatens journalism, and opposition leader Yair Golan said he would repeal it. The law does not cover the public broadcaster Kan (Jerusalem Post; Times of Israel).

**Kan, the public broadcaster.** Kan (the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation), established by the 2014 Public Broadcasting Law and on air since 15 May 2017, is governed by a 12-member council chosen through a search committee, not by ministers, and its director general is Golan Yochpaz. State Media Monitor classes it "Independent State-Funded and State-Managed", on a watch list: the council has had only 5 of 12 members, below its quorum of seven, so Kan has operated on a continuation budget since the start of 2026 and, per the Jerusalem Post, may have no council to extend or replace Yochpaz when his term ends on 6 November 2026. The High Court invalidated Karhi's dismissal of the search-committee chair in May 2026 and heard four further petitions on 26 August 2026; Karhi's lawyer argued that the court cannot extend an executive's term, and Karhi says he is entitled to judge the committee's recommendations. A media-content study cited by State Media Monitor found no systematic pro-government bias in Kan's journalism in early 2024.

**Messaging on the record.** At the UN General Assembly on 26 September 2025 Netanyahu said that Hamas used civilians "as props in its sick propaganda war against Israel" and that Western media bought it "hook, line and sinker". On 24 September 2026 he told the Assembly that "there's an eighth front to this war. It's the war for truth", named Qatar and Turkey as having spread "lies", and said: "Israel didn't commit genocide. Israel prevented genocide." Delegates walked out as he began (UN News).

**Messaging directed at Israel and its government by others.** The sources below are attributed, and several are contested.

- *Hamas.* The al-Qassam Brigades released videos of hostages through Telegram, among them a video of three women addressing Netanyahu on 30 October 2023, which Netanyahu called "cruel psychological propaganda" (Al Jazeera). A peer-reviewed study in the journal *Journalism and Media* sorts Hamas's hostage videos into five genres, from proof of life to messages to the Israeli public (MDPI, 2025). Under the ceasefire that took effect on 10 October 2025, the release of the 20 living hostages began on 13 October.
- *Hezbollah.* The U.S. Treasury designated Hezbollah's television channel al-Manar a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity in March 2006, saying it recruited and raised funds for Hezbollah, and in 2005 the EU and the governments of France, Spain and the Netherlands found that its broadcasts breached European rules against incitement to hatred (World Jewish Congress summaries of those decisions).
- *Iran.* Meta's first-quarter 2024 report says it removed 22 Facebook accounts, eight Pages, eight Groups and 23 Instagram accounts from an Iran-origin network that posed as Israelis, posted mainly in Hebrew, and presented itself variously as supporting Netanyahu, backing Itamar Ben-Gvir and criticising Netanyahu's war conduct, or joining anti-government protests; Meta removed it "before they were able to build an audience", with about 900 accounts following its Pages. The head of Israel's National Cyber Directorate, Yossi Karadi, said in June 2026 that hostile cyber incidents rose from about 1,600 in June 2025 to about 4,800 in June 2026 and that Iran's propaganda includes Lego-style AI animation videos (Times of Israel). The archive's khamenei.ir poster of 2018 shows one strand of Iranian state-linked messaging about "Zionists", and the 9/11 Commission attributed the attacks to al-Qaeda.

**Boycott and solidarity campaigns.** These are open civil-society campaigns, listed apart from the state and armed groups above. A call dated 9 July 2005 from Palestinian civil society organisations called for boycotts, divestment and sanctions "Until it Complies with International Law and Universal Principles of Human Rights", and calls its measures "non-violent punitive measures", with three demands: end the occupation and dismantle the Wall, full equality for Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel, and respect for refugees' right of return under UN Resolution 194 (BDS movement). Israel's Strategic Affairs Ministry described its mission as leading the campaign against "anti-Israel delegitimization and boycott campaigns", and the Knesset legislated against boycotts in 2011 (a law the Supreme Court upheld in April 2015 except for one civil-damages provision) and in 2017 (an entry ban on activists who call for a boycott) (Adalah; Lawfare); the movement says its measures are non-violent. In 2026 four public broadcasters (Netherlands, Spain, Ireland, Slovenia) withdrew from the Eurovision Song Contest after a European Broadcasting Union debate over Israel's participation, and Kan, Israel's entrant, stayed in (State Media Monitor). Sa'ar said in September 2026 that a film, *NAZA*, shown at the Venice Film Festival portrays Israel as committing genocide and compares it to Nazi Germany, and called it "part of a much broader war" (Jerusalem Post).

**International court and UN findings.** These are legal and fact-finding findings, not messaging, and are listed here because the government's messaging responds to them. The International Court of Justice's order of 26 January 2024 in *South Africa v. Israel* directed Israel to take measures to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza and to prevent and punish incitement; the case is in its written merits phase, with South Africa's reply due 22 November 2027 (ICJ order of 21 May 2026). Its advisory opinion of 19 July 2024 found Israel's continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory unlawful. On 16 September 2025 the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry (chair Navi Pillay) concluded that "Israel is responsible for the commission of genocide in Gaza" and that Netanyahu, Herzog and Gallant incited it. Israel's Foreign Ministry replied that it "categorically rejects the libelous rant published today by the Commission of Inquiry". Israel does not cooperate with the Commission; the Court has not ruled on the merits.

## Timeline

- December 2022: 37th government sworn in (29 December); Ministry of Strategic Affairs revived under Dermer.
- October 2023: Hamas-led attack on southern Israel and the start of the Gaza war (7 October); Hamas hostage video and Netanyahu's reply (30 October).
- January 2024: ICJ orders provisional measures in *South Africa v. Israel* (26 January).
- April to May 2024: foreign broadcasters law (1 April); Al Jazeera closed in Israel (5 May); Meta and OpenAI report STOIC (29 and 30 May); New York Times report and ministry denial (5 June).
- July 2024: ICJ advisory opinion (19 July).
- November 2024: Katz becomes defence minister and Sa'ar foreign minister; ICC warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant (21 November).
- December 2024: Sa'ar wins a $150 million public-diplomacy allocation (29 December).
- March 2025: Defrin becomes IDF Spokesperson (27 March).
- July 2025: United Torah Judaism and Shas leave the cabinet.
- September 2025: UN Commission of Inquiry report (16 September); Clock Tower X registers under FARA (18 September); Netanyahu at the UN (26 September); Netanyahu and President Trump meet at the White House on a U.S. peace plan for Gaza (29 September).
- October 2025: Gaza ceasefire takes effect (10 October); living hostages released from 13 October.
- November to December 2025: Dermer resigns (11 November); Katz announces his order to close Army Radio (14 November); Smotrich and Sa'ar approve NIS 2.35 billion for public diplomacy (6 December); cabinet votes to close Army Radio (22 December).
- January 2026: GPO director Chen announces departure (22 January).
- February to April 2026: U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran begin the Iran war (28 February); ceasefire (8 April); Hotovely approved to lead the National Public Diplomacy Directorate (26 April).
- July 2026: Iran ceasefire collapses (7 to 8 July); broadcasting law passes (16 to 17 July); Knesset dissolves itself (17 July).
- August 2026: High Court strikes down the Army Radio closure (20 August).
- September 2026: Netanyahu at the UN (24 September).
- October 2026: Knesset election scheduled (27 October).

![A meeting in the Oval Office: President Trump seated at left and Benjamin Netanyahu at right, seen from behind, with aides and officials seated and standing around a coffee table](https://propagandaarchive.org/regimes/images/endings/israel-government-current-3.jpg)

President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu meet in the Oval Office to discuss the U.S. peace plan for Gaza, 29 September 2025. [Source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:P20250929DT-0252_President_Donald_Trump_and_Israeli_Prime_Minister_Benjamin_Netanyahu_hold_a_joint_press_conference.jpg): Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok, 29 September 2025, Public domain (U.S. federal government work, 17 U.S.C. 105).

![Timeline of eleven dated steps from December 2022 to August 2026.](https://propagandaarchive.org/regimes/images/diagrams/israel-government-current-timeline.png)

Eleven dated steps in the current Israeli government's term to 2 October 2026, simplified from the sources cited on this page. Source: FRAME diagram, drawn from the sources listed on this page, CC BY 4.0 (FRAME archive content).

## Same-standard note

![Illustration: a vintage broadcast microphone beside torn script pages.](https://propagandaarchive.org/static/generated/graphics/spot-microphone.jpg)

Illustration, not an archive object

This page uses the same structure and definitions as every other regime page and applies the archive's working definitions on the same terms. The roster is a dated snapshot as of 2 October 2026, 25 days before an election, and will change. The measures it documents have counterparts elsewhere in the archive, among them state-funded influence abroad by Russia (the [Putin government page](https://propagandaarchive.org/regimes/putin-government/)) and by the United States (the Global Engagement Center and Radio Free Europe), foreign-agent registration regimes, and laws on broadcasters; this page states differences of scale, intent and context without implying equivalence. The government describes its public-diplomacy spending as a defence against hostile campaigns; its critics dispute that description.

## Sources

- Government and offices: [Times of Israel on Dermer's resignation](https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/netanyahu-confidant-ron-dermer-resigns-from-ministerial-post/); [Jerusalem Post on Hotovely](https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-894172); [Times of Israel on Hotovely](https://www.timesofisrael.com/cabinet-approves-ex-uk-envoy-hotovely-to-lead-national-public-diplomacy-directorate/); [Times of Israel on Shapira](https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/noam-shapira-appointed-to-fill-long-vacant-public-diplomacy-chief-role/); [Media Line on Chen](https://themedialine.org/headlines/nitzan-chen-steps-down-as-head-of-israels-government-press-office-after-13-5-years/); [Budget Key, LaPam 2026](https://next.obudget.org/i/budget/008902/2026); [Ynet on Gilon](https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bksgtmixwe); [Times of Israel on Bar Tal](https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/saar-appoints-eden-bar-tal-as-foreign-ministry-director-general/); [Times of Israel on Defrin](https://www.timesofisrael.com/entering-role-new-idf-spokesman-effie-defrin-seeks-to-bolster-trust-in-army/).
- Election and coalition: [JNS, 17 July 2026](https://www.jns.org/news/israel-news/knesset-votes-to-dissolve-formally-sets-oct-27-election-date); [Times of Israel, Knesset dispersal](https://www.timesofisrael.com/knesset-votes-on-official-dispersal-of-parliament-wrapping-up-final-legislative-blitz/); [Haaretz, polls](https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-politics/2026-09-27/ty-article/israel-election-poll-eisenkot-netanyahu-tie-as-smotrich-hits-new-high/000001a0-e43c-db4b-a7a5-f67e17050000); [Jewish Insider, July 2025](https://jewishinsider.com/2025/07/netanyahu-government-coalition-shas-united-torah-judaism/); [France 24](https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20250716-israeli-ultra-orthodox-party-quits-netanyahu-s-ruling-coalition); [Times of Israel, pardon request](https://www.timesofisrael.com/herzog-pushes-for-new-plea-deal-talks-says-he-wont-consider-netanyahu-pardon-request-yet/); [ICC, Palestine situation](https://www.icc-cpi.int/palestine).
- War context: [Britannica, 2026 Iran war](https://www.britannica.com/event/2026-Iran-war).
- Public-diplomacy spending: [Jerusalem Post, 6 December 2025](https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-879369); [Times of Israel, 30 April 2026](https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-just-quintupled-its-pr-budget-to-730-million-experts-say-it-wont-work/); [Times of Israel, 29 December 2024](https://www.timesofisrael.com/foreign-ministry-to-receive-massive-budget-for-public-diplomacy-abroad/); [Quincy Institute, The Eighth Front](https://quincyinst.org/research/the-eighth-front-inside-israels-1-billion-influence-campaign/); [Responsible Statecraft on the Esther Project](https://responsiblestatecraft.org/israel-influencers/); [Public Citizen FARA complaint](https://www.citizen.org/article/fara-complaint-alleges-us-based-social-media-influencers-are-acting-as-agents-of-israel/).
- STOIC and platform disclosures: [Meta, Q1 2024 Adversarial Threat Report](https://transparency.meta.com/sr/Q1-2024-Adversarial-threat-report); [NPR, June 2024, updated July 2024](https://www.npr.org/2024/07/09/nx-s1-4994027/israel-us-online-influence-campaign-gaza); [The Jewish Chronicle, ministry statement](https://www.thejc.com/news/israel/israeli-minister-denies-reports-the-government-ran-covert-influence-campaign-on-us-politicians-uy5gj4fq); the case-study page linked above gives the New York Times and OpenAI citations.
- Media: [Library of Congress, Al Jazeera order](https://www.loc.gov/item/global-legal-monitor/2024-05-06/israel-government-authorizes-temporary-shutdown-of-al-jazeeras-broadcasting-in-israel/); [Al Jazeera, extension of the law](https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2025/12/23/israel-extends-law-that-banned-al-jazeera-for-two-more-years); [Media Line, FPA petition](https://themedialine.org/headlines/foreign-press-media-rights-groups-ask-israeli-supreme-court-to-speed-gaza-access-ruling/); [Haaretz, FPA petition, January 2026](https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-01-27/ty-article/.premium/israels-high-court-again-delays-ruling-on-foreign-journalists-access-to-gaza/0000019b-ff9c-d5ae-adbf-ffdc73860000); [JNS on Katz and Army Radio](https://www.jns.org/defense-minister-orders-army-radio-closed-cites-politicized-broadcasts/); [Jerusalem Post, High Court on Army Radio](https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-906135); [Jerusalem Post, Karhi's law](https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-902758); [Times of Israel, Karhi's law](https://www.timesofisrael.com/coalition-passes-media-overhaul-law-giving-government-greater-regulatory-control/); [Jerusalem Post, Kan council](http://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-906677); [State Media Monitor, IPBC](https://statemediamonitor.com/2026/06/israeli-broadcasting-public-corporation-ipbc/).
- Statements: [Netanyahu at the UN, 2025](https://jewishvirtuallibrary.org/prime-minister-netanyahu-s-2025-un-general-assembly-speech); [Netanyahu at the UN, 2026](https://jewishvirtuallibrary.org/politics-wing/peace-process/international-relations-and-aid-international-statements-and-resolutions/prime-minister-netanyahus-2026-un-general-assembly-speech); [UN News, 24 September 2026](https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/09/1168431); [Jerusalem Post, Sa'ar interview](https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-909628).
- Messaging by others: [Al Jazeera, 30 October 2023](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/30/hamas-releases-video-showing-three-women-hostages-in-gaza); [MDPI, hostage videos](https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5172/6/4/180); [Times of Israel, Iranian cyberattacks](https://www.timesofisrael.com/iranian-cyberattacks-on-israel-surged-in-2026-cyber-chief-says/); [BDS call of 9 July 2005](https://bdsmovement.net/call); [Adalah on the 2011 law](https://www.adalah.org/en/content/view/8525); [Lawfare on the 2017 entry ban](https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/israeli-anti-bds-travel-ban-legal-context); [World Jewish Congress on al-Manar](https://www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/news/eu-moves-against-hezbollah-linked-al-manar-tv-channel); [UN Commission of Inquiry press release](https://www.un.org/unispal/document/israel-has-committed-genocide-in-the-gaza-strip-un-commission-finds-16sep25/); [Israel's reply](https://www.un.org/unispal/document/israel-categorically-rejects-the-libelous-rant-published-today-by-the-commission-of-inquiry-non-un-document); [ICJ order of 21 May 2026](https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/192/192-20260521-ord-01-00-en.pdf); [ICJ advisory opinion summary](https://www.un.org/unispal/document/summary-of-the-icj-order-icj-19jul24/).
- Portraits: Wikimedia Commons file pages in each entry's frontmatter.

## In the archive

### Collection objects (1)

- ['What would you do?' Israel Defense Forces infographic](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/what-would-you-do-idf-infographic-2012/) (Israel · Nov 19, 2012 · Fear appeal)

### Case studies

- [Israel's Strategic Affairs Ministry paid for news content, and a later ministry's STOIC campaign aimed at U.S. lawmakers](https://propagandaarchive.org/case-studies/israel-strategic-affairs-paid-content/)
- [The Hanover Institute: reports written for chatbots to cite](https://propagandaarchive.org/case-studies/hanover-institute-chatbots/)

### Campaign dossiers

- [Hanover Institute for Public Policy (LaPam / Piro / Havas)](https://propagandaarchive.org/campaigns/hanover-institute/)