As Israel enters into what could be the most complex stage of its conflict with Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran and its regional allies, Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, warns that Israel is engaged not merely in military actions but in a "fight for its very existence."
According to Diker, Israel stands at a critical juncture that pertains not only to its regional diplomacy but also to what he refers to as a global battle for influence that will shape the trajectory of Israel’s future and that of Western civilization.
In a recent interview, Diker noted that his “do tank” is dedicated to “bolstering Israel’s security by spearheading its diplomatic efforts and linking Middle Eastern partners and allies with allies in the West.” Following the Abraham Accords in 2020, Diker notes that the center has acted as a “bridge between the Arab Muslim majority Middle East and the West” by cultivating discreet connections with Arab nations that “seek a safe space in Israel, beyond governmental constraints, to exchange ideas, formulate strategies, express themselves openly, and consult with us.
“Our role is to present Israel confidently as an indigenous member of the region who understands Arabic language and political culture and at the same time, [draws on] strong American political, cultural, and diplomatic expertise,”he explains.
“It is extraordinary to watch what happens when Israel presents itself in Arabic as it truly is, which is a Middle Eastern country.” That Middle Eastern identity, he argues, counters “the false, propagandistic, subversive, decades-long narrative” portraying Israel as a Western colonialist implant. “No, we’re the most indigenous member of the Arab Muslim Middle East today,” Diker says. “And they are beginning to not only understand it but accept it – and embrace it.”
HOWEVER, ALONGSIDE growing ties with the region, Diker believes that Israel faces a grave challenge from global campaigns to delegitimize the Jewish state and the Jewish people – a campaign he calls “the war of October 8.” “There are seven fronts,” he explains: “Hamas in Gaza and Judea and Samaria; Hezbollah in Lebanon; the Houthis in Yemen; Iranian-backed militias in Syria and Iraq; and the Iranian regime itself. Add to that an eighth front – the political psychological, diplomatic, and legal warfare being waged against Israel in the West.”
That eighth front, Diker says, is no less dangerous than the rockets flying out of Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen. In a deeply polarized media environment in the West, he warns that Israel is losing the battle for public opinion,especially among younger Americans, who have grown up “without a historical understanding ofthe Jewish state’s struggle for survival.”
“These are essentially two wars taking place simultaneously,” JCFA’s president explains. “The military waron the ground… and we are making great progress… However, the military war is connected to another war: the war of perception or the war of strategic influence. We are also winning that war in the Middle East – but we’re losing that war in the free world.”
FOR DIKER, this isn’t just about Israel: It’s a broader civilizational battle. “When you see thousands of students on hundreds of university campuses in kefiyas… this is a reinvigoration, and even a reincarnation of Che Guevara and the revolution of the Marxist, Leninist moment,” he says. “It’s not only about the Jews: It’s about America and the West. It’s about destroying and remaking America in the image of the Communist Party – and even using Nazi ideology, which is what also underpins Islamist Hamas.”
To win this war of Influence, Diker calls for a strategic overhaul of Israel’s public diplomacy. “We have to move from what we know as hasbara and defending to exposing and attacking,” he asserts. “We need to be exposing and calling out Hamas, the PLO, PA, Hezbollah, and Iranian enemies every moment of every day… This is high-intensity cognitive warfare.”
Citing Arab political historian and political theorist Ibn Khaldun, the center’s president invokes theconcept of al-faris al-Asil – “the strong horse” – as the key to influence in the Middle East. “Israel todayis perceived as a strong horse in the Middle East,” he says.
“But to be the strong horse… does not mean we’re winning the larger war for strategic influence in the West.” Diker voices significant concern over hostile narratives rooted in extremist ideologies from the Middle East that have infiltrated and co-opted the messaging of various Western institutions, including some Jewish organizations. “There are Jewish groups that have been refashioned as ‘useful idiots’ by these extremist ideologs,” he states.
“These groups are working in the name of what they call human rights, actually adopting the PLO and Hamas line of propaganda to undermine and uproot Israel in the international community,” he further emphasizes. Diker believes that this troubling alignment with anti-Israel rhetoric not only distorts the facts on the ground but also legitimizes a campaign of delegitimization against the Jewish state and the Jewish people in global forums.
He specifically mentions groups like IfNotNow and J Street, accusing them of fostering a distorted moral discourse that ultimately damages young Jews’ comprehension of Israel’s complex security situation and it’s historical and legal rights.
“These groups,” he remarks, “have done a great disservice to young Jews by obsessively condemning Israel… in ways that are divorced from fact and inconsistent with Israel’s own strict adherence to international law.” By consistently defaming Israel while ignoring or justifying the extremism and even genocidal violence of its adversaries, Diker argues that such organizations aid those who are intent on Israel’s annihilation.
ON A broader scale, Diker warns that the decline and even self-destruction of moral clarity in the West threatens not just Israel but also Jews in the Diaspora. “The enemies of Israel regard anyone who is sympathetic to or associated with Israel as an enemy, unless they disown Israel,” he remarks, “and this is a significant trap.”
He adds that Jews abroad may increasingly face antisemitic hostility, regardless of their political views, simply because of their connection to Israel. To combat this trend, the JCFA leader calls for a united front among Israel’s allies – both Jewish and non-Jewish – who are committed to truth, justice, and democratic values.
“We and the West must uphold moral clarity for the West,” he insists. “We need to overcome this challenge, for our future and for the future of Western civilization.” “Unite for freedom and liberty,” Diker concludes: “Unite for moral clarity to overcome the forces of evil. This is a struggle between good and evil; this is a battle between civilization and barbarism.”
For Diker, the stakes are not merely national but civilizational; only through unity and moral courage, he stresses, can the free world resist the tide of radicalism and emerge stronger, more secure, proud, and prosperous. “That’s a monumental challenge worth fighting to win,” he says.
This article was written in collaboration with JCFA.