|
|
April 27, 2001/Iyar 4, 5761, Vol. 53, No.30
Enhanced public relations will not bring peace
MITCHELL BARD
Special to Jewish News
Among the few articles of faith shared by virtually every Jew is the conviction that Israel has terrible public relations and that a strategy needs to be devised to improve Israel's image. Then American Jews, at least, will sleep easy. This view has been prevalent for a long time, but the concern about PR has taken on greater urgency in recent weeks.
Why is there this sudden preoccupation with public relations? Two reasons. First, the situation in Israel has deteriorated to the point where there is an undeclared war going on, and propaganda is one of the tools of warfare. Second, when it became clear that Ariel Sharon was going to be elected prime minister, many American Jews went into full panic mode anticipating that the "hard-liner" would immediately butt heads with the U.S. administration and undertake a series of actions that would provoke international opprobrium against Israel.
Both of these reasons are legitimate. Israel is now in a war, and we must do what we can to fight it through the media and public opinion. Sharon also unquestionably came to office with a lot of negative baggage and immediately was subjected to criticism that warranted a response.
That said, what is the real reason for the American Jewish preoccupation with the PR war? Mainly, it is because we feel uncomfortable seeing Israel pilloried in the press, we fear this will lead to a deterioration in the U.S.-Israel relationship and turn public opinion against Israel, and we are powerless to do anything about the situation on the ground. Positive PR doesn't really help Israel, it mostly makes us feel better because we're doing something and we're not letting the other side get away with tarnishing our beloved Israel's image.
The problem is that there is nothing that anyone can do to make Israel look good so long as the situation on the ground is in upheaval. Israel had a brief honeymoon during the peace process with the Palestinians, especially under Labor Party leaders, because it was clear that they were making every effort to resolve the conflict. It was not difficult to sell the idea that Israel was interested in peace. You might say that Israel still has that interest, and it should be obvious the other side is the obstruction, but it is much more difficult to sell a positive image of Israel by castigating the Palestinians. This is the pre-Oslo situation, and it is no coincidence that all the old propaganda is being dusted off. Negative PR campaigns may work in electoral politics, but they have never been that effective in the Mideast PR war. Israel does best when it conveys a positive message about itself.
The other impediment to any PR strategy, especially one that focuses on the evils of the Palestinians, is that nothing we can say or do will have as much impact as a single incident shown repeatedly on TV, such as the killing of the boy being shielded by his father in Gaza. Those are the pictures the journalists want because they make great TV and, so long as Israel is in armed conflict, the dominant image is going to be heavily armed Jews fighting Arab children with rocks. Because Israelis have no interest in martyrdom, the casualty figures will always be lopsided so that every story will mention the disproportionate number of Palestinian fatalities. Sure we can put them in context and talk about Palestinian children being cynically used as cannon fodder, but it doesn't change the statistics or the drumbeat of coverage about Palestinian suffering.
I am not saying that we should sit on our hands and do nothing but stew over the unfairness of it all. The PR will make us feel better, and it is important to put events in context and correct the factual errors in the media. It's just a fantasy, however, to believe it will make much difference in perceptions of Israel.
And you know what? It doesn't matter. Israel's image problem is mostly in our heads. What counts, public opinion and U.S.-Middle East policy, are not readily affected by the negative PR. For example, the most recent Gallup poll found that sympathy for Israel was 51 percent compared to only 16 percent for the Palestinians. This was the highest figure for Israel since August 1991 - that is, pre-Oslo. Yes, the Bush administration rebuked Israel for going into Gaza, but, overall, there is no sign of any weakening of the U.S.-Israel relationship. Look at the U.S. Congress, which is divided along partisan lines on almost every issue - except support for Israel. A majority of members of Congress just called for a reassessment of U.S.-Palestinian relations.
This is a difficult time. We all would like to see Israelis living in peace and security. We'd like the media to accurately portray the conflict. The reality, however, is that Israel's biggest problem is the unwillingness of its enemies to make peace. And that cannot be solved by public relations.
Mitchell G. Bard is a foreign policy analyst in Maryland. His most recent book is "The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Middle East Conflict." He is also the Web master for the Jewish Virtual Library, www.JewishVirtualLibrary.org.
|
