Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar will meet with dozens of leaders from Jewish communities and organizations worldwide as part of the J50 Forum, to be held in Jerusalem between December 21 and 24, his office announced on Monday.
Sa’ar founded the forum in May during the International Conference against Antisemitism held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The objective of the conference is to provide these leaders with policy briefings, present a public diplomacy (Hasbarah) agenda, and host workshops that will equip them with tools to address the current situation.
Former hostage Keith Siegel will participate in the conference, alongside Foreign Ministry officials, journalists, and influencers.
Israel to invest NIS 2.35 billion in Hasbara in 2026
The forum comes weeks after Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Sa’ar agreed to allocate NIS 2.35 billion to Israel advocacy campaigns as part of the 2026 budget presented on December 6.
The budget will be used for campaigns to raise awareness for Israel worldwide. The government has already authorized NIS 1 billion.
"Alongside the budget increase, the government approved my proposal to establish a public diplomacy unit in the Foreign Affairs Ministry," Sa'ar said at the time. "Accordingly, a head of the public diplomacy unit will be appointed in the ministry, just as there is a head of the political unit. The unit will coordinate the ministry's work on the issue of publicizing."
Source: The Jerusalem Post
