Introduction
1. Impressions
This series is designed to help Jewish Community leaders, Shlichim and Israel
advocates address the onslaught from anti- Israel propaganda and an unsympathetic,
or inattentive, media.
It has been constructed specifically to address the issues from the received
media product inwards - towards the foundation information, the circumstances
and method guidance - while incorporating hands-on exercises and linked reading
from a multitude of internal and external resources.
This unconventional structure is deliberate: it enables the critical Jewish
public to trace received images and messages back to their real origins, subsequently
empowering themselves with factual sources and approaches to Hasbara at different
levels.
Let's run it by in different terms:
With the bombing of the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, the media and worldwide,
networked communication added a dimension not previously seen, even through
CNN during the Gulf War. The real-time coverage of mass murder in New York
by private and professional mass media proved not only how small the world
was, but also how instant delivery has become. Unlike the assassination of
President of Kennedy, the question that will be posed by future generations
will not be:
Where
were you when you heard the news?
but:
How did you receive the news?
Did your mobile telephone send a text message, did you hear it on the
radio, did you see it on the Internet, or on TV?
As news pours in - whether from the Middle East or Afghanistan - the Internet
and Satellite Television have bombarded the viewer daily with a mosaic of
violent images.
Both in the Media and on College campuses, the image of Israel as a peace-seeking
country has been shattered.
Furthermore, anti-Israel myths have become facts on the ground, with which
supporters of Israel must contend daily, and Antisemitism has again lifted
its ugly head worldwide. This happened most recently at the UN
Conference on Racism, in Durban, where Antisemitism ran rampant, demonstrating
plainly yet again that the first casualty of conflict is always Truth.
We need to look at the facts, the messages and the media, if we wish to develop
a constructive image.
2. Why Israel Needs Your Solidarity
You can make a difference.
Experience has shown that pro-Israel advocacy is definitely a sphere where
considered grass-roots action can create dramatic change at all levels.
In the autumn of 2000, this was demonstrated yet again. The generally negative
presentation of Israel and Israeli response by the mass media during violent
Palestinian rioting and terror attacks revealed the extent to which Israeli
peace-makers and the recent political leaderships had neglected to present
their concerns or consolidate their achievements through clear messages suitable
to a new communication age.
Indeed, the Internet has opened up an age of sharing ideas and offering mutual
assistance with the advantage of universal, online access.
More than the resources, however, it has been the ordinary individuals and
groups who have made this difference, moving their skills and knowledge into
new dimensions.
We believe that this body of experience should lay the foundations for an
ongoing plan for how Israel can be presented effectively and positively, irrespective
of the changing context of events.
We believe that the baton lies in the hands of many capable and good-hearted
people, from professionals to volunteers.
3. Shattering Israel's Image and Escaping from Peace
| "When popular rage begins targeting American interests
on Arab soil, the will of the Arabs will prevail. The United States
will not reassess its position without suffering significant losses
to its presence and interests in the Arab area. Without popular
Arab rage, the Arab leaders will not reexamine their position
nor will they change their policies. ...If the place where the
Jewish voice is heard is the ballot box in the US, then the scene
where the Arab voice is heard is Arab soil, which is stuffed with
American companies and American interest."
General Hassan Al-Kashef, PA Information Ministry Director,
Al-Ayyam, November 7, 2000 |
The decision to halt the peace process was a strategic decision by the Palestinian
Authority in early to mid-2000. Even before consenting to participate in further
negociations, the Palestinians had realized that their demands were not going
to be satisfied by Israel at Camp David, so they determined ahead of time
that they needed de facto to opt out of the Oslo Peace Accords.
Creating a negative image of Israel in the media based upon the Temple Mount
visit by Ariel Sharon was highly opportune - and intensely exploited by the
Palestinian Authority to justify their departure from the negotiation table
once and for all.
Crisis is one of Arafat's most powerful weapons. The Palestinian demands which
became clear at Camp David were:
- The right of Return of all Palestinian Refugees into the sovereign
State of Israel;
- Israel's withdrawal to its 1967
borders
- Jerusalem
as the Capital of Palestine
- No Settlements.
Once the Palestinians realized that Israel's maximum offer would not meet
these as minimum demands, the Oslo Accords were broken through violence: the
media campaign to ensure the shattering of Israel's image as a peaceful country
inevitably followed.
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