Filed under: thought bubble
Alon Pinkas, Consul General for Israel in New York was recently quoted as saying – ” We are currently in a conflict with the Palestinians, engaging in a successful PR campaign is part of winning the conflict.”
So you can say that in addition the to military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, Israel is also involved in an attempt to ideologically occupy the American media.
After the PR disaster of Lebanon, Israel decided to set up permanent institutional structures to control how Americans would think about the Middle East. In 1983, Israel launched the Hasbara project, the aim of which was to ensure good press in the US media. The goal was to train Israeli diplomats in Communications and Public Relations. (visual: “..training information officers to present Israeli’s case to TV anchormen around the world”)
For example they trained press officers in Israeli consulates in the US to ensure that American journalists would write stories favourable to Israel. As one of these press officers said in the 1980’s – he had breakfast, lunch and dinner with journalists and that a typical day would involve conversations with producers at leading news and TV talk shows about the content of the program. He described it as, in fact – quote ” A joint formulation of ideas”.
Hussein Ibish (American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, USA)
Because of lack of access to Palestinian officials in the West Bank, and the sophistication of Israel’s PR techniques inside Israel, alot of times these stories are already tilted in Israel’s favour before they ever leave American journalists sitting in the area.
Seth Ackerman (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, USA)
Even in Israel itself you can find the main daily newspaper, like Ha’aretz, for example, provides coverage on the ground, and analysis some of which has views on the conflict that would almost be beyond pale for an American journalist at the New York Times to write.
A typical TV news report, for example, would show you dramatic pictures of these confrontations where Palestinians are confronting Israeli troops and the Israeli troops are responding. For most Americans, you don’t understand the history of the conflict. These are an example of the riots that are going on, which the authorities are taking measures to crack down. What’s not mentioned is the fact that these confrontations are taking place on occupied territory.
The Israeli troops who are there are defending an occupation that doesn’t have any international legitimacy. It’s illegal.
