Israel has long been a disaster when it comes to public relations, but Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman (of all people) is trying to change that by hiring PR firms in Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and the Czech Republic to improve the image of Israel in those countries.
It’s about time, but the problem is Israel is allocating a paltry $3.26 million to the project (not enough to build a junior high school these days) when $3.2 billion would be more like it. The Palestinians (with the help of Saudi deep pockets, a complaisant media and others) have completely dominated European PR to the extent that anti-Semitism is becoming the lingua franca of the continent. Wake up, Israel. (You wouldn’t know that Jews invented public relations. Of course that was American Jews.)
“is trying to change that by hiring PR firms in Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and the Czech Republic to improve the image of Israel in those countries.”
No good. The problem is only partly with the substance of Israel’s PR effort, and not a large part either. The greater part of the problem is the same one the Tea Party has: Getting the truth out in the face of a hostile mainstream media that acts as gatekeeper.
This effort won’t be enough. In order for the Jewish State to get a fair hearing in the mainstream media outlets of the world, it must force those outlets to bring Israel’s message. The MSM having taken the role of undermining the Jewish State through the dissemination of Arab imperialist propaganda, it would be perfectly legal for the future Jewish Republic of Israel to strong-arm the MSM as a self-defensive and corrective measure.
Lieberman is the first FM in a long time who actually wants Israel to have good PR. The others would have been just as happy having Israel forced into a destructive “peace” as long as the Tel Aviv area was left safe.
No question that Israel has neglected PR. But to flippantly say that Israel should allocate *billions* of dollars to the fight is completely out of proportion to the size of the Israeli economy. We’re a country the size of New Jersey, people!
Added to this is our dysfunctional political system that makes it difficult plan ahead, or to allocate reasonable funding for many, many vital projects.
I’m not excusing it. I’m just sayin’…
” (You wouldn’t know that Jews invented public relations. Of course that was American Jews.)”
Now former American Jews or American former Jews or Americans of the “Jews for Abortion” or “Jews for Gay marriage”, or Jews of honerker bush (Ch sound is just a bit too difficult – we have “reformed” it) or Jews for Palestine or JStreet or Jews for Soros – and the few Jews who are frum, or traditional or who are found here.
All that really needs to be done is to effectively present the truth and not hinder those that would do so.
How much has it cost Philippe Karsenty to fight the al Dura hoax lies? And how much has Israel helped him?
From what I have read it seems they actually tried to shut him up.
Where there is a will there is a way but I fear there is no will in current Israeli PR circles, and such as there is is one favouring defeat.