Abstract:
This thesis explores how advocacy groups in New Zealand and Australia have used a
range of communications, relational and recruitment/internal cohesion activities and
strategies to advance Israeli and Palestinian public diplomacy. This research uses an
analytical framework developed through a synthesis of several advocacy, public diplomacy,
nation branding, and political marketing theories and concepts. Taking a qualitative approach,
this research examines four case studies: the Palestine Solidarity Network of Aotearoa
(PSNA), the Israel Institute of New Zealand (IINZ), the Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs
Council (AIJAC), and the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN). This research
draws upon a range of sources including webpages, social media posts, pamphlets, press
releases, media articles, and interviews with representatives from the organisations studied.
This research draws attention to the role that non-state actors’ public diplomacy can
play in influencing government policy, media coverage, and public opinion of international
issues such as the Israel-Palestine conflict. It also sheds light on how pro-Palestinian
advocacy groups engage in public diplomacy and nation branding through their advocacy
work. This research also expands the limited New Zealand literature on advocacy groups that
take an interest in Israel-Palestine issues. It also explores how pro-Palestinian advocacy
groups support Palestinian public diplomacy through their advocacy work. Finally, this
research explores how advocacy groups can incorporate political marketing strategies and
techniques into their advocacy work. In short, this thesis not only contributes a New Zealand
and Australian dimension to the literature on Israeli and Palestinian advocacy but also seeks
to expand the frontiers of public diplomacy, nation branding, and political marketing.