Companies in the Netherlands refused to publish billboards with pictures of Israeli hostages held by Hamas ahead of Israel's genocide trial at the International Court of Justice in the Hague.
The National Public Diplomacy Directorate, through the Government Advertising Agency, prepared a billboard campaign throughout the Netherlands to raise awareness for the release of Hamas hostages ahead of the trial at The Hague.
The campaign was expected to be launched as part of a multifaceted public relations and diplomacy program surrounding the hearing in the International Court of Justice in The Hague in which South Africa has accused Israel of committing genocidal acts against Palestinians in Gaza.
The billboards that were designed for the campaign present different pictures of abductees, mentioning their names and the fact that they are in captivity in Gaza, under the caption “He/She can’t testify today.”
The main message conveyed in these billboards is the fact that 136 kidnapped Israelis are being held captive by Hamas and are unable to testify at The Hague trial.
These are victims and witnesses to the acts of terrorism and crimes against humanity committed by Hamas, as well as to the war crimes Hamas commits every additional day the hostages are held in Gaza.
Over ten companies were reached out to, and all refused
Over ten billboard companies were reached out to in The Hague, Rotterdam, and Schiphol Airport, but all of them refused to cooperate with the Government Advertising Agency.
During the work with one of the billboard companies, the design and message of the sign were approved, but at the last moment, before the signs were supposed to go up on billboards, the billboard company informed the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit that the advertisement was canceled.
This billboard campaign is one of several public diplomacy and awareness campaigns that will take place in Europe over the course of the hearing.
The head of the National Public Diplomacy Directorate, Moshik Aviv, issued a statement saying, “The attempts at silencing the hostages' voices will be answered with a loud voice. Even in front of the court in The Hague, there are those who choose an aggressive and outrageous manner to take down an information campaign on hundreds of billboards throughout the Netherlands, including in The Hague.
The truth will prevail, and the State of Israel will continue to stand up for the justice of its path and tell the whole world the truth. We are running an unprecedented international information campaign. They will not be able to silence us.”
The CEO of the Government Advertising Agency, Moriah Shalom, said, “The publishers' refusal is a severe affront to freedom of expression and Israel's right to speak out in a loud voice against the terrorism that its citizens are suffering from. This is a crude attempt to silence the voices of the Israeli hostages, who were abducted during Hamas's murderous terrorist attack. Their right to be heard is beyond all doubt.”