PR isn't the problem

[JohnLocke]

PR is not the problem
By Nachman Shai -- Jerusalem Post
Monday, May 30, 2004
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The four shells that killed eight Palestinians in Rafah last week set off the usual Pavlovian reflex. Where is our public relations machinery? What has it been doing?
(...)
I come from a place where PR is very important. The years I spent doing PR jobs in Israel and abroad taught me the advantages and importance of the field, but also its weaknesses and limits. I believe, therefore, that it is time to stop and ask ourselves how much, and what else, we expect from the PR panacea? Why can't we understand that PR is not a recipe for success, and that even good PR cannot justify bad deeds?
It is time to admit the real problem: that Israel's actions in Judea, Samaria and Gaza are inexplicable.
(...)
The prime minister decided that Israel has no further need or interest in maintaining a civilian and military presence in the midst of a population of 1.2 million Palestinians. Surely he cares about Israeli security, otherwise he would not be calling for a unilateral Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
(...)
It is time to approach PR not on the tactical or technical level, but on the long-term strategic one. Unfortunately, there are few issues we think about these days in the long term. Most of the time we put out fires and wait for the next fire.
The Palestinians' greatest achievement, which is also our biggest failure, is the dissociation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict from its historical roots. From the superficial view in which the media specializes, the picture looks very clear: Israel is the occupier, then Palestinians are the occupied; we are strong, they are weak. They are fighting for their right to self-determination – Israel is denying them that right.
(...)
So, rather than focus on this military operation or that, we need to be conducting a long-term PR effort, one whose fruits we will enjoy, as with any good investment, over time, and not necessarily right now.
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The writer is director-general of the United Jewish Communities-Israel and was IDF spokesman during the 1991 Gulf War.
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Read the rest here.

[Classical_Liberal]

1. He says it's not pr than ignores the issue of setltements and

concludes that it is just pr. Yeah right. That made no sense what so ever.

[Darranar]

2. An interesting argument...

I doubt I agree with the author on the conflict itself, but he is correct to suggest a different approach, rather than simply stregthening the current one.

I also do not believe that there has been no emphasis on the plight of the Jewish people and the "threat" the Arab nations pose to Israel. To the contrary, that is a feature of much "pro-Israel" propaganda, especially from such organizations such as AIPAC. The problem with it is that the past is the past and the present is the present, and whether or not the Arabs wanted to attack the Israelis in '67, the fact remains that the tactics of the Occupation are, in many ways, illegal, immoral, unjust, racist, and unproductive. Israel's policies in the West Bank and Gaza cannot be excused by the policies, current and former, of the surrounding Arab states towards Israel (or vice versa for that matter.) How does murdering eight innocent Palestinians in Rafah strengthen Israeli defenses against Syria, Lebanon, or Egypt (assuming that there actually is any real threat from them, which I highly doubt in the last two cases and find rather questionable in the first)?

The best propaganda has elements of truth in it. Ridiculous, clearly innaccurate propaganda does not much benefit the cause of its supporter, and when the IDF claims that they attacked an abandoned building (which somehow resulted in the killings of eight people?) instead of firing into the crowd, as countless eyewitness reports stated, there is little reasonable basis for believing them.

[Gimel]

3. Israeli PR

Surely you don't expect the Israeli PR to be responsible or to direct that of sympathizers in the US.

Mr. Shai is not an American.

[Darranar]

4. I realize that...

you'll note I said "pro-Israel" propaganda and not Israeli PR.