The Power of Influence: Examining Israel's Soft Power Tactics in a Time of Crisis : A case study of Israel’s use of soft power within the three soft power subjects of history, language, and culture and civilisation

This thesis researches how Israel has deployed soft power to gain international support for its war in Gaza since October 2023, focusing on the soft power pillars of history, language and civilisation and culture. The theory that serves as the framework for this research is the theory of soft power. This research contributes, on one hand, to the scientific community by providing knowledge about Israel's use of soft power in a conflict that has not yet been extensively studied. On the other hand, it offers the general public information on how soft power can impact everyone. Previous research comprises three published articles examining Israeli soft power usage within the three operationalised pillars: history, language, and culture from past conflicts. The findings and analysis chapter examines Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speeches at the UN General Assembly in 2024, the US Congress in 2024, and a press conference held by Netanyahu aimed at the international press. The results of the research conclude that Israel employs all three pillars of soft power to garner international support for its war in Gaza since October 2023. Furthermore, it concludes that several themes emerge in the subjects and focuses of this deployment of soft power across all three sources.