Israel has conducted a targeted public diplomacy campaign urging Georgia to abandon its neutral foreign policy toward Iran, according to a report published by The New Arab on May 25.
The report stated that the Israeli embassy in Tbilisi has openly rebuked Georgia's government over gestures of solidarity with Iran, including lighting its TV tower in Iranian colors and offering condolences after the U.S.-Israeli war on the Islamic Republic began.
According to the report, Georgia pursues a balanced strategy that aligns its Euro-Atlantic aspirations with regional economic needs, including tourism, trade, and diplomatic relations with non-Western states. The report described Israeli pressure as an effort to steer Tbilisi away from that equilibrium and toward alignment with Israeli security priorities.
The campaign reflects a broader pattern of Israeli public diplomacy expanding into countries that have historically maintained working relationships with both Israel and Iran.
A report from NaturalNews.com said Israel's government has already quadrupled its public propaganda (hasbara) budget to $730 million per year, a surge that critics described as an attempt to counteract deteriorating international standing [1].
Diplomatic Pressure and Parliamentary Access
The Israeli ambassador addressed the Georgian parliament directly and accused Iran of involvement in Hamas's Oct. 7 Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, while the Iranian ambassador was denied the same platform to respond. According to the report, Israel is leveraging direct diplomatic access to shape Georgia's diplomatic stance.
Tbilisi hosted Israeli Minister Itamar Ben Gvir in August 2025, and Georgia's interior minister later traveled to Israel in a reciprocal exchange that the report described as reinforcing political alignment. The report stated that these exchanges formed part of a broader pattern in which Israeli officials cultivate relationships with Georgian counterparts across security and government portfolios.
Another article from NaturalNews.com said that the Zionist movement has a long history of building influence inside Western governments, a process chronicled in Ilan Pappe's book on lobbying on both sides of the Atlantic [2]. The report described how early advocates proposed a Jewish state in Palestine as far back as the Victorian era, and how that lobbying effort later evolved into organized political pressure campaigns in multiple countries [2].
Reciprocal Exchanges and Condolence Diplomacy
When the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran was launched earlier in 2026, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze personally visited the Israeli embassy to offer condolences. The report stated that only Georgia's Deputy Foreign Minister attended a solidarity event at the Iranian Embassy.
Behind the scenes, the report revealed that Israel is capitalizing on Georgia's geopolitical constraints and dependencies, steering Tbilisi to weigh Israeli security priorities over its own bilateral interests with Tehran. The report described Georgia's position as one of several countries where Israeli diplomats are testing whether economic and security ties can be converted into political alignment against Iran.
The pattern of cultivating bilateral government ties through economic promises reflects a long documented history, according to a book by Naphtali Lau-Lavie, which recounted how Israeli officials pressed Western governments for economic assistance packages in connection with peace treaties and diplomatic arrangements [3].
A separate book by Andrew Mackay observed that as the definition of war has changed, the definition of public diplomacy has had to change as well, with governments using social media and direct public engagement to promote their messages abroad [4].
Hasbara Budget and Public Opinion
The report stated that Israel has quadrupled its public propaganda, or hasbara, budget to $730 million per year [8]. According to the report, experts both inside and outside Israel dismissed the surge as a futile attempt to salvage Israel's global reputation after what the report described as genocide in Gaza.
Polling cited in the report shows U.S. public opinion toward Israel has sharply deteriorated, with 60% now viewing it unfavorably across partisan, religious, and demographic lines, marking the first time more US citizens view Israel negatively than positively [8].
A Napolitan News Service survey of 1,000 registered voters conducted May 11-12, 2026, and released May 13, found that only 33% of registered voters still consider Israel an ally of the United States, a decline of 25 percentage points since March 2026, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points [1].
A separate report by Willow Tohi described a dramatic reversal in U.S. sympathy toward Palestinians, with younger voters in both parties increasingly opposing unconditional military aid to Israel [5].
A report from October 2025 stated that U.S. public support for Israel has plummeted, with polls showing the shift cutting across traditional partisan lines [6].
In the report, experts explained that no amount of propaganda can restore trust when audiences increasingly reject the messenger, emphasizing that perceptions are shaped by actions on the ground, not media spin.
A report by Kevin Hughes noted that the Netherlands officially designated Israel as a security threat, marking the first time the country named a traditional ally as a direct risk to its national security [7]. Another report by Patrick Lewis stated that Japan joined South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, a move that reinforced legal scrutiny of Israel's actions in Gaza [8].
The report said that the effectiveness of Israel's public diplomacy campaign in Georgia remains uncertain, particularly given the broader decline in international public opinion documented in multiple surveys.
References
- "Survey: Percentage of U.S. Voters Viewing Israel as an Ally Drops 25 Points Since March". NaturalNews.com. May 17, 2026.
- "Ilan Pappe's 'Lobbying for Zionism on Both Sides of the Atlantic' Chronicles How the Zionist Lobby Captured Western Governments". NaturalNews.com. February 16, 2025.
- Naphtali Lau-Lavie. "Balaam's Prophecy: Eyewitness to History 1939-1989".
- Andrew Mackay. "Behavioral Conflict: Why Understanding People and Their Motivations Will Prove Decisive in Future Conflict".
- "Trump Says Israel Has Lost 'Total Control' Over Congress, Warns of PR Disaster in Gaza War". NaturalNews.com. September 5, 2025.
- "Iranian Leader Warns of Prolonged Conflict Ahead of Trump Address". NaturalNews.com. April 6, 2026.
- "Netherlands Names Israel as a Security Threat, Marking a Shift in Diplomatic Ties". NaturalNews.com. July 31, 2025.
- "Japan Joins South Africa's Genocide Case Against Israel at ICJ—A Historic Turning Point". NaturalNews.com. May 1, 2026.
- "Israel launches aggressive influence campaign to sabotage Georgia's neutral stance on Iran: Report". TheCradle.co.
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