French pro-Israel activist Simon Moos has launched a scathing critique of Israel’s public diplomacy strategy, accusing the government of abandoning the global battle for public opinion.
“I’m deeply frustrated with Israel’s PR strategy — or rather, its lack thereof. Israel simply isn’t fighting this war,” says Moos, a 26-year-old social media advocate who has become one of the most prominent young pro-Israel voices in France. “There’s a certain Israeli arrogance, a reliance on Golda Meir’s famous line: ‘I prefer your condemnation over your condolences.’ But that’s not a fighting strategy. The media arena is a battlefield in its own right.”
A product of the TikTok generation, Moos understands that the war is not fought only in Gaza but also across millions of social media accounts and viral videos accusing Israel of genocide and starvation. He argues that Israel’s response to this flood of accusations is far too weak.
“Of course this war can be won”
“Hamas is fighting a PR war, and we should fight them with the same tools. Israeli officials simply refuse to do so. That’s one reason we’re seeing a wave of recognition for a Palestinian state — and it could have been avoided,” Moos says.
Many Israelis, he notes, believe the images from Gaza are too grim to overcome. “I hear that a lot, but it can’t be the basis for a strategy of silence. You can’t go to war already believing it’s unwinnable. There are many low-cost actions Israel could take in this fight. For example, when Israel decided to block humanitarian aid to Gaza for two months, if you’re going to inflict such a massive PR cost, at least make sure it delivers real military value. I couldn’t see it. In the end, the damage to Israel’s image was far greater than any gains against Hamas. That’s when we lost much of the European audience that had been on the fence.”
Moos says Israel should “work in reverse” — flooding the internet daily with its own footage. “Show the aid trucks entering Gaza, Hamas looting, bustling markets, open restaurants. Put cameras on soldiers, film everything, and release what tells the real story. Counter their manipulative images with reality. These are cheap, easy steps with only upside.”
Countering propaganda with facts — not hummus
Moos grew up in a Jewish-Zionist school in a Paris suburb, in what he calls a “Jewish bubble.” His first real encounter with hostility toward Israel came in 2017 while studying politics, philosophy, and economics at King’s College London, where he was confronted by an aggressive, organized BDS campaign.
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French President Emmanuel Macron and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
(Photo: Ludovic Marin/ AFP)
He was unimpressed by Israel’s usual soft-power tactics: “They respond to genocide and apartheid accusations with hummus and high-tech showcases. That doesn’t work. My response was to bring IDF officers to campus for debates — controversial, but at least it was on-topic.”
Moos says his target audience isn’t die-hard activists but the average student or citizen “constantly fed one-sided propaganda.”
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He also notes the demographic challenge in France: Jews make up just 0.5% of the population, while 25% of French citizens under 30 are Muslim. “It looks hopeless, but relative to our numbers, our pro-Israel messaging still gets heard. We give answers. It has an impact.”
Why Gaza gets unique treatment
According to Moos, Gaza is the only modern war where “pacifists and human rights activists insist the civilian population stay in place. In Syria or Ukraine, they accepted millions of refugees. With Gaza, they say: ‘They must stay and die under the bombs.’ No one wants to take them — not Arab states, not the West.”
Macron’s push for Palestinian statehood
Moos believes French President Emmanuel Macron’s advocacy for recognizing a Palestinian state is partly about personal legacy. “In nearly 10 years in office, he’s achieved nothing. He’s presided over the largest immigration wave in French history — bringing in masses of people hostile to Jews. Now, the Palestinian issue is all he has left to cement a legacy.”
He is equally critical of Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir: “They care only about their voter base. They don’t understand the global ecosystem. If you go to war, you need allies, funding, and weapons. You can’t be alone.”
No plans to leave France — yet
“I’m both Jewish and French. My family’s been in France for centuries. I can’t accept the end of French Jewry. My mission is to defend Israel, defend Jews, and defend the truth — which protects both Jews in France and France itself.”
Moos draws courage from Israeli soldiers: “In Israel, you fight with weapons; here, we fight with words. I want Jews in France to be more ‘Israeli’ in spirit — never apologizing, never bowing their heads. Even my opponents respect that I fight back. In the end, people respect those who stand for what they believe in.”