My Israel

My Israel, known in Hebrew as ישראל שלי (Yisra'el Sheli), is an Israeli right-wing, extra-parliamentary activist movement established in early 2010 by Ayelet Shaked and Naftali Bennett. At the time of its creation, Shaked and Bennett had previously worked in the office of Benjamin Netanyahu, while Bennett was associated with the Yesha Council, an umbrella body representing Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Both founders later entered national politics and served as prominent right-wing figures in the Knesset and Israeli governments. The movement was created as a platform for activist and communications work outside the formal party system. Its stated purpose has been to place issues associated with Zionism, Jewish and democratic identity, and support for Israel on the public agenda. My Israel has worked through online public relations, social-media activity, local branches, public events, demonstrations, and campaigns directed at what it regards as anti-Zionist or hostile activity in Israeli society and the media. Its work has overlapped with the Yesha Council, particularly in logistics and public relations. A central feature of My Israel's activity has been its emphasis on digital advocacy. In 2010, it organized a course intended to teach participants how to edit Wikipedia articles on Israel-related subjects. The initiative was presented by its organizers as an effort to improve the reliability and balance of information about Israel and to challenge descriptions they considered anti-Israel, including terminology concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the historical or political status of Judea and Samaria. Approximately 50 people reportedly took part. The effort attracted international attention because it was seen as an attempt to influence a collaboratively edited encyclopedia for political purposes. Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales later said that the initiative had produced no discernible impact and emphasized the importance of neutrality and avoidance of conflicts of interest in articles concerning Israel. The movement also participated in the political debate surrounding Israel's 2011 social-justice protests. My Israel expressed support for demands to reduce the cost of living but criticized some protest leaders, characterizing them as associated with post-Zionist or anti-military positions. On 3 August 2011, its activists joined a demonstration near the Rothschild Boulevard protest encampment alongside Im Tirtzu, Bnei Akiva, and other right-wing activists. Their messaging combined support for lower living costs with support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The organization later circulated a 2002 letter bearing the signature of protest leader Daphni Leef, using it to support its criticism of the protest leadership. In September 2014, My Israel was registered as a nonprofit organization under the management of Sarah Haetzni-Cohen. Public information identifies the organization as an activist movement rather than a conventional commercial brand, manufacturer, retailer, or parliamentary political party. Its activities have principally involved advocacy, communications, public campaigns, and mobilization within Israel. The organization's current legal and operational status is not fully established by the supplied sources. A social-media presence remained substantial in October 2024, when its Facebook page was reported to have approximately 194,000 likes and 232,000 followers, but this alone does not establish the exact scope of its current operations.

My Israel emerged in early 2010 as an Israeli right-wing activist movement operating outside the Knesset and the formal party system. It was founded by Ayelet Shaked and Naftali Bennett, who had previously worked together in Benjamin Netanyahu's office. Bennett was also identified with the Yesha Council, which represents Israeli settlers. The founders later became national political figures, but the movement itself was organized as an advocacy and mobilization platform rather than as a parliamentary party. From its beginning, My Israel emphasized public communication and grassroots activism. Its stated objective was to bring issues connected with Zionist thought and action into public debate and to reinforce Israel's Jewish and democratic identity. The movement's methods included online messaging, social-media activity, public-relations work, demonstrations, and local organizing. It cooperated with the Yesha Council in logistics and communications and focused particularly on responding to activities or messages it regarded as anti-Zionist in Israeli society and the media. One of the movement's earliest and most publicized projects was a 2010 course on Wikipedia editing. The project sought to train supporters to edit articles about Israel, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Judea and Samaria, and Jewish history. Organizers argued that some existing entries reflected anti-Israel bias and that additional informed participation could improve balance while still following Wikipedia's rules. Around 50 people reportedly attended. The effort became controversial because political advocacy and collaborative encyclopedia editing can create conflicts of interest. In 2011, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales said that he had observed no meaningful effect from the initiative. In a later 2015 speech, Wales again stressed that politically sensitive articles should be handled through factual coverage, neutrality, and avoidance of conflicts of interest rather than ideological coordination. My Israel also became involved in Israel's 2011 social-justice protest movement. On 29 July, it expressed support for the protesters' concern about living costs but rejected the political orientation it attributed to several protest leaders. The movement described some leaders as conscientious objectors and post-Zionist leftists because of statements concerning the Israel Defense Forces. On 3 August, My Israel activists joined a demonstration near the Rothschild Boulevard encampment with Im Tirtzu, Bnei Akiva, and other right-wing activists. They called for lower living costs while also voicing support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. On 1 September, the movement published an online letter from 2002 that included Daphni Leef's signature, using it to reinforce its criticism of the protest leadership. In May 2011, My Israel began opening branches in different parts of the country. Reported locations included Haifa, Netanya, Ra'anana, Tiberias, El'ad, Beersheba, Giv'at Shmuel, Rishon LeZion, and Kiryat Bialik. This branch-building phase reflected an attempt to extend the movement beyond online advocacy and create a distributed activist network. In September 2014, the organization was formally registered as a nonprofit managed by Sarah Haetzni-Cohen. The supplied sources do not establish a complete chronology of later leadership, campaigns, funding, or legal status. An archived version of the movement's website was available in 2023, and its Facebook page was reported in October 2024 to have approximately 194,000 likes and 232,000 followers. These figures indicate continued visibility on social media, but they do not by themselves confirm the organization's current operational status.

• 2014

  Nonprofit registration

  [1]My Israelen.wikipedia.org

  My Israel was registered as a nonprofit organization managed by Sarah Haetzni-Cohen.

• 2011

  Nationwide branch expansion begins

  [1]My Israelen.wikipedia.org

  My Israel began opening branches across Israel, with several locations reported during the year.

• 2011

  Participation in social-justice protest debate

  [1]My Israelen.wikipedia.org

  The movement supported calls to reduce living costs but organized criticism of the political orientation of some protest leaders.

• 2010

  Movement founded

  [1]My Israelen.wikipedia.org

  Ayelet Shaked and Naftali Bennett established My Israel as a right-wing, extra-parliamentary activist movement.

• 2010

  Wikipedia editing course organized

  [1]My Israelen.wikipedia.org

  The movement arranged workshops to train participants to edit Israel-related Wikipedia articles from a more explicitly Zionist perspective.

A Zionist, right-wing civic-activism and communications movement operating outside Israel's formal parliamentary party structure.

• 2011Social-justice protest counter-mobilization

  Israel

  The movement backed the demand for lower living costs while challenging the ideological positions it attributed to the leaders of the 2011 protest movement.

  Outcome. Activists participated in a demonstration near the Rothschild Boulevard encampment alongside other right-wing organizations and linked economic demands with support for Netanyahu.

  Source
• 2010Wikipedia editing initiative

  Israel · Online

  My Israel organized an editing course for supporters who wanted to contribute what the movement considered more reliable and balanced Zionist information to Wikipedia articles about Israel and contested historical and political issues.

  Outcome. The initiative received international attention, but Jimmy Wales later said that it had produced no observable impact on Wikipedia.

  Source

• 2011

  Combine economic messaging with right-wing political advocacyStrategy

  Background

  The nationwide social-justice protests focused on the cost of living, but My Israel disputed the politics and public statements of several protest leaders.

  Action taken

  The movement endorsed lowering living costs while participating in a counter-demonstration that also expressed support for Benjamin Netanyahu.

  Aftermath

  My Israel became part of the broader political contest over the meaning and leadership of the 2011 protests.

  Source

• 2010

  Adopt organized digital advocacyStrategy

  Background

  The movement viewed online information about Israel as politically contested and believed that existing Wikipedia coverage sometimes reflected anti-Israel bias.

  Action taken

  It created workshops to train supporters in editing Israel-related Wikipedia entries while publicly claiming that participants should follow Wikipedia's rules.

  Aftermath

  The campaign generated criticism over ideological coordination and conflicts of interest. Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales said in 2011 that it had not produced a discernible effect.

  Source

1. 1My Israelen.wikipedia.org
2. 2My Israel official websitemyisrael.org.il