Paradigm Shift

Israel cannot win the PR War if she acts on a different sphere than her enemies. Thus, her meager efforts to react and respond, consistently too late, are ineffective. For Israel to be successful in her efforts, she must play on the same field as her enemies. Short of that happening, the outcome is fixed: Israel’s PR attempts will continue to fail.

Changing a frame of reference is useful in discovering trends and cause-outcome connections to which we were otherwise unaware. This can be achieved either with the distance of time or space. Let us clarify.

Time separation: The world wondered why it failed to see the obvious signs of the 1930’s that led to World War II and the Holocaust. Looking at this era some sixty or seventy years later, we see with intense clarity those who attempted to shout at then-participants: “WHY CAN’T YOU SEE!”

Another method for changing one’s frame of reference is physical or geographic separation. It is often observed that Israelis living outside of Israel are much more concerned and active than their family members and friends in Israel.

The former accuse the latter of a lack of awareness about what is happening before their very eyes. The latter do not understand the behavior and nightmares of the former, calling them “alarmists” or “pessimists.”

This “inability to see the forest for the trees mentality” is not unusual. Israelis in Israel simply do not see the quicksand into which they are drowning. Every once in a while there is a hiccup, a Goldstone Report, a Flotilla of Lies, a Kidnapped Soldier, but other than these so-called singularities, Israel—according to Israelis inside of Israel—is doing just fine!

Therefore, it is not surprising that Israel is not rushing to correct certain shortfalls. She simply refuses or is unable to see them. It is the consensus Israel fails in its PR effort, and yet:

a) Israel is entangled in bureaucracy, making any movement with ease and agility close to impossible. There are multiple government ministries and offices whose assignment covers different aspects of public diplomacy, but in totality they achieve very little with negative results (i.e. harming Israel where they should be helping);

b) Israel’s elected and appointed officials forget who their true masters are, are oblivious to their mission and the goals they must achieve and do not respect the offices they hold. Instead, they are more concerned with benefits, personal gains, egos and continued self-indulgence;

c) Israel’s total investment in its PR efforts is negligible at best, often far less than what a company would spend annually on advertisement. If one looks at the priorities map of Israel drawn against expenditure of resources (money, person-power, etc.), PR or Public Diplomacy is on the very bottom, approaching zero. The void is only partially filled by philanthropists underwriting the work of NGOs. The balance is charged against Israel in continued deterioration of her position.

How can the situation be corrected? One way would be to allow another Holocaust to occur, which will force very painful, even unimaginable changes. This is the course on which Israel is proceeding now. She is continually absorbing hits, and these seem to come with greater force and frequency. Eventually, Israel will be so weakened, she will be unable to rise and suffer a fatal knockout.

Another way is for a leader to rise who will have the courage to make officials, whether appointed or elected, accountable for their actions, position Israel’s Public Diplomacy as a top priority, alongside defense, social services, health care and education and dismantle the huge bureaucracy now existing. This could be accomplished by shifting resources to dry up those branches that are only concerned with their own self-importance in favor of tending to the very fragile new growth. Complacency is often a debilitating force, whereas hunger and need are a driving force.

The reader may ask if this is even feasible. I contend it is, and I would also caution Israel has run out of time. The time to act is now, and without further delay.

I further caution against worshipping the status quo that facilitates further failures. For instance, the Ministry of Public Diplomacy and the Diaspora is looking for a Deputy Director General. The Director General (who runs the ministry under the Minister) made his international appearance immediately after (rather than long before) the Turkish Terrorist Flotilla of Lies. Some termed it a necessary “wet run.” The appearance was only short-lived, for apparently Israel has resumed its former position of “life as usual.”

Reviewing the required qualifications, I was quite impressed by the blind’s ability to define the need quite accurately. The problem? The title itself restricts the search ONLY to candidates from within the Ministry’s staff. The top echelon of the Ministry is composed of those who served on the Minister’s election committee. Thus, a priori, the only eligible candidates may not be the most qualified. Rather, it is a tailored search designed to meet current requirements under the law.

I am confident those bureaucrats will have a ready-made excuse, a long explanation, and will rush forward like a bull to protect their turf and actions. If they would only used the same energy and resources to do their work, like a follow up on the Flotilla of Lies. The Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza and the West Bank has not changed after the Director General’s short appearance on the global landscape. Like flowers in the Sahara Desert after a rain, he too disappeared into oblivion.

Change cannot always emerge from within. To occur, the frame of reference must be seen with fresh eyes from a distance. Only then can you see the picture clearly in its entirety.

### In the series “Postcards from Israel—Postcards from America,” Ari Bussel and Norma Zager invite readers to view and experience an Israel and her politics through their eyes, an Israel visitors rarely discover.

This point—and often—counter-point presentation is sprinkled with humor and sadness and attempts to tackle serious and relevant issues of the day. The series began in 2008, appears both in print in the USA and on numerous websites and is followed regularly by readership from around the world.

After reading the article, I can only say that there has been similar phenomenon happening in the U.S. for the past thirty years.

Political correctness still maintains a stranglehold on our political and interpersonal speech. Collective action cannot occur without speech unhampered by political correctness.

According to that dogma, all violence is bad, nothing is evil save hate in all its forms except for the majority, and personal and national security is tantamount to a crime.

“Political correctness still maintains a stranglehold on our political and interpersonal speech. Collective action cannot occur without speech unhampered by political correctness.”

I agree with your sentiments, but I want to elaborate on your point that “political correctness” is the problem.

Political correctness is a weapon, to find who’s doing the damage you have to look at who’s using the weapon. And the users are the leftists and their targets are america’s values and their defenders.

Just as in the case of another weapon - guns - it is not the guns that is the problem, but the criminal users.

Good post.

My question is similar to the one I often ask rhetorically about the US: Why give a rat’s ass about what “the world” (AKA the Euro-socialist press) thinks? I always loved it when Dubya and Cheney drove the scumbags nuts by completely ignoring them. The stammering, open-mouthed consternation of the scumbag Euro-socialist press whenever Bush did exactly the opposite of what they arrogantly demanded cracked me up no end.

So with regard to Israel, why does Israel bother engaging in a PR battle at all? I agree with you that the deck is stacked and it’s unwinnable. Oh well... Who cares? Why does Israel not simply hunker down and continue to do what is best for its own national security and let everybody who doesn’t like it just drop dead? In fact, Israel should step it up every time some idiot opens his mouth. Screw the PR battle.

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