Ella Kenan, a digital marketing professional and content creator, began her mission to promote Israel’s narrative in the wake of the October 7 terror attacks. Known for her popular travel blog, Kenan witnessed a wave of misinformation on social media, with prominent accounts denying the atrocities or circulating videos of hostages.
"I understood that this is orchestrated and that they're trying to create a narrative in which Israel did it in order to start a war," she said.
A talk with Ella Kenan, content creator
(Video: Yaron Brener)
Kenan quickly mobilized, introducing a campaign equating Hamas to ISIS. Within days, her messaging went viral, influencing global discourse and even being echoed in speeches by U.S. President Joe Biden.
Fourteen months later, she remains active in countering misinformation and promoting Israel’s perspective, despite mounting international criticism and ongoing challenges like missile attacks and hostages held in Gaza.
Kenan believes Israel's struggles with global opinion stem from a lack of groundwork in public diplomacy. "A brand is built not during war or emergency; it's built during peacetime. There's nothing different when it comes to a country. I think Israel didn't invest in infrastructure to build its own brand around the world, so now during war, we see the results of that," she explained, highlighting how adversaries exploit this vulnerability in public opinion battles.
Exposing Qatar’s role
Kenan recently launched a viral campaign aimed at exposing Qatar’s dual role as a cultural and financial influencer in the West and as a sponsor of groups like Hamas.
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"They are invested in billions in education in the West from the age of 6 until the end of university when people are 22. They're the biggest donors to elite Ivy League universities in the U.S., and they demand to control what is being taught and who is the staff that teaches that. Apart from that, they're purchasing cultural assets of the West," she said.
She accused Qatar of using its wealth to silence criticism of its support for organizations such as Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood and even ISIS. "In the Israeli case, when we look at their efforts to mediate between Hamas and Israel regarding the hostage deal. This is not a mediator that says, 'there are two sides and I'm here to mitigate between them.' This is a country that puts on its buildings the flags of Palestine, Hamas, Sinwar and Haniyeh on a weekly basis and portrays them as heroes. They're also the owners of Al Jazeera, whose Arabic, English and its version to Gen Z on social media, AJ+, are inciting against Israel," she added, citing Qatar’s funding of international institutions like the International Court of Justice.
Kenan urged families of hostages to protest at Qatari embassies to pressure the country, which she described as fearing public opinion most. "What Qatar fears the most is public opinion because it bought the West so as not to get criticized for sponsoring Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, ISIS, al Qaeda, and it does whatever it wants."