‘Brand Israel’: hasbara and Israeli sport

Sport-tech diplomacy: exploring the intersections between the sport-tech ecosystem, innovation, and diplomacy in Israel

“…The international market is extremely receptive to Israeli sports technologies, with global corporations partnering with and even acquiring Israeli sport-tech companies, and sports organizations from almost every major sports league use Israeli sports technologies. These collaborations are not met with international protests, like other sports initiatives face (Dart 2016;Dubinsky and Dzikus 2018;Ber et al 2017). The sports-tech ecosystem grew from unique challenges Israeli society face, trying to offer solutions to global needs.…”

“…International politics often overshadowed Israel’s participation in international sports, including boycotts, exclusions, demands from exclusions, demonstrations, hiding Israeli symbols, cancelled and postponed events, hosting outside of the country, and even a deadly terror attack during the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, West Germany (Dubinsky and Dzikus 2018 ; Galily 2007 ; Ber et al 2017 ). According to Dart ( 2016 ), Israel is trying to associate itself with Western Europe though sports, rather than with its Middle-Eastern neighbours. As a result of the manifestation of the Israeli–Arab dispute through sports, Israel is losing ample branding opportunities due to the ongoing Israeli–Arab dispute (Dubinsky and Dzikus 2018 ).…”

“…Some countries have been using sports to try and improve the country’s image through nation branding and public diplomacy (Anholt 2010 ; Murray 2018 ). Although sports and physical activities are rooted in Israel’s history and in the image change of Jewish people and Zionism (Harif 2011 ; Kaufman and Galily 2009 ), the Israeli–Arab dispute often manifested through hosting and participating in local and international competitions, limiting some branding opportunities (Dart 2016 ; Dubinsky and Dzikus 2018 ).…”

Showing Israel the red card. Activists engaged in pro-Palestinian sport-related campaigns

“…The attempts to contribute towards peacebuilding in the region through sport-based coexistence projects focus on different aspects of the problem, with more research needed on the extent to which they (are able to) address the root causes of the conflict, bearing in mind Dart's (2015Dart's ( , 2016 suggestion that when it comes to national security, sport features in a very minor capacity. However, the activists interviewed here shared the goal of using sport to raise awareness and bring about pressure on the Israeli state to address its behaviour towards the Palestinians.…”

“…In an attempt to counter the growth of the BDS movement, the Israeli state uses hasbara (Hebrew for explanation) to discredit pro-Palestinian support (Dart 2016), with Israel's version of public diplomacy using skilled debaters and online trolling to make ad hominem accusations of antisemitism aimed at BDS activists. Working with (and funding) organisations and groups not directly associated with Israel, hasbara seeks to generate a counter-deligitimisation narrative against those seeking to delegitimise Israel (Oren 2016).…”