Strategies for Israel’s PR Success

December 25, 2006 - 7:41 PM by

Earlier, I mentioned this “intense discussion” going on in the Something Something blog following up the recent Herziliya media conference. The passionate dialogue continues, and the comment below written by Don Radlauer struck me as so powerful that it deserved to be pulled out of comments and showcased.

The point here – and it apparently needs lots of repeating – is that we’re not playing (or at least we shouldn’t be playing) some kind of “moral superiority ping-pong” with the Palestinians. And I’m not even talking about “Israeli apologies” or anything else “masochistic”. I’m talking about Israel’s best strategy for being a success in the world.

Israel is not Palestine; nor is it Syria, or Iran, or even Jordan. Being thought marginally morally superior to the Palestinians would be no great victory for us! Israel is a small country whose economy depends on trade with the outside world, much of that trade in competition with other, larger countries. (Remember, too, that it’s the Israeli economy that supports the Israeli military; we don’t really have the option of telling the rest of the world to screw off, satisfying though that might be at times.) We don’t want to be thought of as better than Hamas; we want to be thought of as a great place from which to buy computer software, irrigation equipment, and so on, and as a great place for tourists to visit.

In order to understand our goal as hasbarologists, we need to get our minds out of the immediate conflict with Hamas, Hezbollah, and the rest. It’s not enough to “beat” these guys: we’re trying not even to be seen as being in the same league as they are.

I suspect that the terrorists know this, by the way, even if many of us don’t; and they would love nothing better than to reduce us to just another barbaric Middle-Eastern interest group. A lot of what Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, and the rest are doing makes sense in this context: they’re not really trying to “win” in the conventional sense, but rather to provoke us into responding in such a way as to torpedo our own international legitimacy, and thus weaken ourselves. They don’t have this problem; they don’t have Intel plants, Microsoft development centers, and all the rest. They don’t care if they don’t sell anything more high-tech than a tomato, because they don’t have anything more high-tech to sell than a tomato. (I may be exaggerating a tiny bit in the last sentence, but only a bit. A more precise version just didn’t “sing”.)

This is why I’m so frustrated with most Israeli hasbara:

- It’s reactive, trying to explain what’s been done rather than influencing the formation of policy.

- It’s largely based on saying things that reassure us and our supporters, rather than communicating effectively with those who are not already on our side. (Although, as I mentioned in my last comment directed to Richard, deepening the commitment of our supporters has value as well.) As such, it may often hurt our side’s standing with the most important audiences more than it helps.

- It’s far to obsessed with “beating” our “enemies”, instead of with succeeding as a modern, thriving, Western-oriented democracy.

Amen, Don….

Tags: • Category: Politics 

Comments

8 Comments on Strategies for Israel’s PR Success

  1. Ellen on Tue, Dec 26th 2006 9:45 AM

    2. It’s far to obsessed with “beating” our “enemies”, instead of with succeeding as a modern, thriving, Western-oriented democracy
    —
    Sorry, Don.
    Your points would be well-taken during more normal times, but Israel is cannot continue to thrive or effectively market herself as a Western-style democracy, as long as we remain under serious threat. The priority at this time has to be our security and self-preservation.

    My take on the conference can be in today’s Jerusalem Post at
    http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1164881975173&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

    Ellen

  2. Allison on Tue, Dec 26th 2006 12:05 PM

    3. Hi Ellen,

    I don’t understand why the two things must be contradictory. Can’t you be a Western-style democracy, that is also under serious threat? Are you saying that this is too complicated a notion for most people to grasp?

  3. Don Radlauer on Tue, Dec 26th 2006 12:12 PM

    4. Thanks for the kind words, Allison – now could someone please explain all this to Richard Landes? I’m really getting the feeling that I’m slamming my head against a wall “talking” to the guy…

    So do I get a link out of all this?

  4. Don Radlauer on Tue, Dec 26th 2006 12:39 PM

    5. Ellen, I’m afraid you’re missing the point. When you’re under threat is precisely the time when you have to think rationally and act in your own self-interest.

    If we descend to the level of our adversaries – and by being obsessed with “winning” our PR battle against the Palestinians and Hezbollah, that’s exactly what we’re doing – we lose even if we “win”. Success for Israel means keeping our economy functioning at a healthy level, which in turn means maintaining strong trading relationships with the West. The approach advocated by Richard Landes and most of the Israeli hasbara activists – and by essentially all of Israel’s official hasbara apparatchiks – is precisely wrong, since it cements our image in terms of the conflict.

  5. garethppls on Tue, Dec 26th 2006 3:46 PM

    6. “terrorists” – very very funny. the IDF terrorize and raid towns in the West Bank and Gaza on a daily basis, do you not think this scares Palestinians? The only reason there are militants in Palestinian areas is that they demand freedom from a land which you as Zionists have stolen and continue to steal from them. The latest incidents being in the city of Hebron, whereby Zionists claim that the city should be theirs because Abraham lived there. Fair enough, but Christians and Muslims are also people who believe in Abraham. Abraham promised this land to Christians, Jews and Muslims.
    The reason why resistance groups, like Hamas, the PLO and Islamic Jihad exist is because Israeli immigrants are occupying their land, and are treating them like second class citizens. They aren’t given an adequate political voice as the Knesset doesn’t care about the Palestinian Authority and neither does Ehud Olmert. I think that Palestinian politicians should be allowed into the Knesset. But Zionists will never let them do that as they just want the whole of Palestine for themselves.
    I know this post will be deleted like last time but it’s worth a shot to show you how unethical you are. If you really want to know what Judaism says about this occupation it merely takes a read of Isaiah which goes into depth about occupation that Jews suffered throughout the bible. Now you are doing the same to Palestinians…
    Well done…

  6. rdcrescendo on Wed, Dec 27th 2006 8:10 AM

    7. garethppls, what do the Palestinians bring to the table? If they are to join the Knesset and make a contribution to the “body politic”, surely they bring some real evidence of their good will and interest in creating a healthier community spirit for their people – or do I mis-read your desire to “be allowed into the Knesset?”

  7. garethppls on Thu, Dec 28th 2006 10:50 PM

    8. They are resident within your borders as the West Bank and Gaza are under Israeli occupation, you are compromising their rights by not allowing them a proper say, and you are denying their rights by putting an apartheid wall around their settlements.
    The Palestinians are being ignored by Ehud Olmert so nobody in Israel really knows nor cares about what they have to say.
    Mind you, you all illegally occupied and settled on their land. You are losing because you treat them like second class citizens. Allow them to argue their cause for a Palestinian state, allow them to have their voice and to vote on key decisions in Palestine through their politicians in the Knesset. Israel is ignoring the fact that 4 million Palestinians within the occupied zones and the 4 Palestinians you forced into exile after 1948 (and destroyed Arab towns and villages in the mean while) means that more Palestinians have a valid claim on their homeland than the Israelis do. But you won’t care as your first leader David Ben Gurion said “The destruction of Palestine is neccessary for the well being of Israel”.
    Also many Palestinians claim the documents saying that they own their land, but you have stolen their homes illegally from them. If you read Pity the Nation – Lebanon at War it goes into detail about Palestinian families of varying classes who have lost their homes due to the Zionist cause.
    Palestinians should have an equal say to what is happening to their land, it’s not fair that Tel Aviv gets to say what happens to their land. Also 74% of Israeli Jews live on 14% of the land, so don’t tell me a Palestine free from Israeli oppression and Zionist thugs isn’t possible.
    Again if you delete this post it shows that you are not willing to face the truth. The book of Judaism doesn’t condone the way that you have been treating the Palestinian people, and I ask can you really call yourselves Jews if you are happy to let this continue.

  8. garethppls on Thu, Dec 28th 2006 10:52 PM

    9. “4 Palestinians you forced into exile after 1948 ” that should be 4 million, apologies

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