Project leader: Yaakov Katz
In the wake of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the war that followed, discussions concerning Israel, Hamas, and Palestinians surged on social media platforms. This chapter provides a snapshot of the activity related to those discussions led by the most followed world leaders on X (formerly Twitter). This analysis is based on a total of 35,923 tweets from 34 world leaders between March 2023 and July 2024, a small portion of which were about the war. By examining key metrics such as the percentage of tweets about Israel, the number of likes per post, the ratio of tweets mentioning only “hostages” to tweets mentioning only “ceasefire,” and the ratio of tweets only mentioning “Israel”/“Israelis” to tweets only mentioning “Palestinians,” we are able to elucidate the dynamics of how each world leader used the X platform as an instrument of policy articulation.
The analysis reveals a dramatic increase in tweet activity, highlighting the global attention and engagement on the topic of the conflict. The data showcases the varying focal points of discussions, with specific trends emerging in the context of hostages, ceasefire, and the broader geopolitical implications. What follows is a unique perspective for understanding the impact of these events on public statements, providing insights into the patterns and themes that dominated social media in the aftermath of October 7.
The following are the seven most followed world leaders on X and their most ‘liked’ tweets mentioning Israel. The data includes the percent change in the rate of tweets about Israel and Hamas. For example, between March 1 and October 7 President Biden tweeted about Israel six times per every 1000 tweets, and after October 7 he tweeted about Israel six times per every 100 tweets. The change is roughly equivalent to +882% with an absolute increase of 76 tweets about Israel.
Comparing the tweet data of the various leaders shows a real contrast in how they relate to Israel. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain was the only leader who tweeted more about Palestinians than he did about Israel, and for every tweet he posted about the hostages he posted one calling for a ceasefire. It is not surprising that his most popular tweet mentioning Israel was declaring Spain’s official recognition of Palestine.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni actually decreased the number of her tweets mentioning Israel following October 7, only tweeting about Israel four times without ever mentioning the hostages.
Rishi Sunak, although no longer prime minister, is included here because he served as prime minister of the UK during the analysis period . The data on his tweets suggests a strong commitment to supporting Israel, at least rhetorically. He didn’t include “ceasefire” in any of his tweets and even tweeted “solidarity” in Hebrew on October 19 while visiting Israel.
Although not generally considered Israel’s closest friend in the international arena, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s most popular tweet about Israel was in the context of pro-Hamas rallies that took place in Canada following the October 7 attack . Among this group of world leaders, Trudeau had the most drastic increase in the number of tweets he posted about Israel, going from two tweets between March 2023 and October 7 to 120 tweets between October 7, 2023 and July 2024. Trudeau also posted a significant number of tweets on the hostages, while avoiding any call for an unconditional ceasefire.
French President Emanual Macron’s most liked tweet about Israel expressed his ״outrage״ at Israeli strikes in Rafah and called for an immediate ceasefire. Macron took a strong stance against Hamas on X in the weeks following the October 7 attack . Between October 7 and December 15, Macron mentioned Hamas in 15 tweets, but only mentioned Hamas in three tweets between December 15, 2023 and July 2024.
President Joe Biden’s and Vice President Kamala Harris’s tweets showed strong support for Israel, and mainly focused on the hostages over calls for a ceasefire. For both, their Israel tweets with the most likes mention the U.S.-Israel relationship and American security support for Israel.
It should be noted that because of the nature of social media, a leader’s most liked tweet about Israel may not be representative of the consensus of his or her followers, but rather indicates which tweet had the most virality.