Clinton Says Israel Faces Major PR Challenges After Oct. 7

MANHATTAN — At the Israel Hayom Summit on Tuesday at the Hilton Hotel, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivered a blunt assessment of Israel’s struggle to communicate its narrative, saying the country’s public diplomacy is being overwhelmed by aggressive misinformation campaigns aimed at young Americans.

Clinton said that although families are relieved by the return of hostages held in Gaza, the online battle over how events are understood intensified almost immediately after the October 7 attacks.

According to Clinton, a coordinated flood of misleading posts spread across social media platforms as early as October 8. Many college students, she noted, had little historical background and were highly vulnerable to distorted content. “What they saw online became their entire frame of reference,” she said, describing a rapid effort to invert the meaning of October 7 before the facts were even processed.

Hillary Clinton blames TikTok and “totally made up” videos for young people’s views on Israel and Palestine.

She says social media influenced “not just the usual suspects” but also “young Jewish Americans who don’t know the history and don’t understand.” https://t.co/rUVXRqK2rK pic.twitter.com/hAwG7Gbhwf

— Prem Thakker (@prem_thakker) December 2, 2025

Drawing on her recent teaching experience at Columbia University, Clinton reflected on how easily intelligent young people were swayed by TikTok clips and short videos. She said that the platform was saturated with propaganda in the days following the attack, shaping opinions among viewers who lacked proper context.

Clinton recalled telling Israeli leaders years ago that their communication strategy lagged behind their adversaries. “Israel simply isn’t telling its story effectively,” she said, adding that the problem now affects young Jewish Americans as well.

She argued that the divide over Israel in the United States is not primarily political but generational, noting that many younger protesters repeat slogans without understanding their origins. She cited an example raised by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice: activists chanting “from the river to the sea” who cannot identify which river or which sea.

Rather than abandoning these young critics, Clinton urged engagement. “You can’t dismiss people outright. You have to talk to them first,” she said.

Clinton also warned that the broader information environment — filled with AI-generated clips and unverified videos — threatens democratic societies. More than half of young Americans, she said, receive most of their news from social media feeds, regardless of political or religious background. “This isn’t just about Israel. It’s about whether people understand what’s real.”

Addressing New York politics, Clinton described mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani as a highly successful social media operator who captured the attention of young voters by focusing on economic pressures like rent and transportation costs. She said his digital strategy was tailored to a generation that lives online and should be studied closely, regardless of one’s views on his policies.

Clinton closed by urging Israel and its supporters to rethink how they communicate in an era where short-form video and viral messaging often overpower traditional diplomacy. “If you want to reach young people,” she said, “you need to meet them where they are.”