I tried Wiki - problem is, Wiki is the Happy Hunting Ground for this very activity. The Talk page is a war zone.
So I will just quote the opening paragraph.
Public diplomacy in Israel (also hasbara) (Hebrew: הַסְבָּרָה hasbará, "explaining") refers to public relations efforts to disseminate abroad positive information about Israel.[1][2] The term is used by the Israeli government and its supporters to describe efforts to explain government policies and promote Israel in the face of negative press, and to counter what they see as delegitimisation of Israel around the world. Hasbara means "explanation", and is also a euphemism for propaganda.[3][4][5][6]
In terms of what is being done now, two of the most recent reports from within Israel
A 2010 report produced for the Israeli cabinet by the Reut Institute, and cited by the newspaper Haaretz, exemplifies the common Israeli view that hasbara efforts are needed to respond to what it describes as a diffuse "delegitimization network" of anti-Israel activists. As Haaretz put it, "The network's activists - 'delegitimizers' the report dubs them - are relatively marginal: young people, anarchists, migrants and radical political activists." The newspaper also cites the report as saying this network promotes pro-Palestinian activities in Europe as "trendy," and calls for it to be monitored by Israeli intelligence services, and for the cabinet to treat the network as a strategic threat. It concludes that Israel was not prepared to meet the threat posed by this diffuse network, and that a counter-effort must be more vigorously undertaken to respond to its activities.[33]
Hasbara advocate Neil Lazarus says that what he calls "low budget, grassroots Hasbara 2.0" has come of age, and commends web sites that keep track of what supporters see as anti-Israel media bias, and that promote e-mail campaigns on behalf of Israel. He observes that "Israel’s hasbara seems to be becoming more dynamic, as the Diaspora takes responsibility", and that, "Even day schools and MASA programs have been conscripted to the task."[34]
So these activities are not some bake-sale level of involvement - they are seen as strategic to Israel's interests.
In later posts, I will be exploring some of the leading hasbara organisations, the techniques they use and their funding / backers.
Please note that this is a controversial subject and I fully expect an immediate denunciation.
I am aiming to let the hasbara organisations describe their activities and methods in their own words, so the reader can make up their own mind.
Edited to add:
My aim is to make this concise, readable and informative, so will not be CopyPasta-ing vast long articles - my humble request is to do likewise.
