This is the third article in a 5-part series on Middle East peace running this week. For the first two articles, on Obama's new style in the Middle East and the Arab role in making peace, click here and here. ---------------------------
Even prior to Israel's birth 62 years ago, the struggle for a national home for the Jewish people was always a contentious affair. International acceptance and recognition were strongly solicited and we Jews rightly rejoiced in taking our place once more, after two-thousand years, among the family of sovereign nations. These days it might appear as if Israel is going in the opposite direction, with the state's standing internationally being systematically eroded.
Judaism, unlike the other monotheistic religions, insists on questions being asked. We must "do," but we also must question everything, starting with the existence of God. Criticizing policies with which you disagree, even if it happens to be Israeli policies, is normal and healthy.
What is simply wrong and arguably anti-Semitic, however, is the de-legitimization of Israel's right to exist that we have seen over the past several years. This unfortunately growing phenomenon is clearly beyond the pale, and needs to be combated with every tool at our disposal.
One such tool that has been underappreciated by Israel up till now is the need for a smart and cohesive global communications strategy. A default Israeli position which views the entire world (except the United States) as inherently hostile and unreachable already cedes way too much ground to the state's enemies. Winning the war on information requires reaching the minds of people all across the globe, and not just in America. Crises in particular need to be anticipated ahead of time, and a plan for the ensuing media war prepared and executed effectively. The level of professionalism and discipline that Israel has historically shown in its military endeavors now need to be transferred into its diplomacy and media relations.
To take just the most recent example of the Gaza flotilla, it is clear that the real crisis was due to a mismanaged communications strategy. Stopping the aid ships was a legitimate act, as Israel does have the right to examine cargo heading to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. It should be remembered that this was done peacefully with the five other ships in the flotilla; the violence was precipitated by radical activists on just one ship. The problems arose after the fact, with the Israeli government essentially remaining silent for ten hours. This was simply unacceptable. Indeed, it was precisely what Israel didn't do which was wrong, and it subsequently caused the most damage.
Israel needs to understand that it's engaged in a war for minds -- for fair media coverage and over the right narrative of events. In the flotilla incident, the correct strategy would have been to communicate effectively and in advance to the entire international community that Israel would check the ships for rockets and arms, and then take the legitimate humanitarian aid to Ashdod from whence it would be transported to its original destination, Gaza. It is this advance fight -- the anticipation -- that would have successfully changed the entire story.
This same lack of media savvy was also a major issue during the 2006 Lebanon war. The turning point in the war came when Israel hit a house in southern Lebanon that was being used as a launching pad for Hezbollah rockets. Civilians were tragically killed, and amid the international outcry against Israel, the fact that Hezbollah was actively using human shields, including women and children held hostage was lost. Hezbollah, anticipating and encouraging the deaths of innocent civilians, made sure that ambulances and the media were just minutes away.
These are the types of fundamentalist groups and states to which Israel is losing its image and standing. Israel's security in the conventional sense will always be important, but the de-legitimization threat is, as my friend Gidi Grinstein of the Reut Institute emphasizes, a major strategic challenge with potentially existential implications.
Being right isn't enough anymore. Israel needs to make its case internationally in a disciplined, professional, and consistent manner, which is not the same as past scattershot marketing or hasbara campaigns. There are public relations, crisis management and communications experts all across the world who are also Zionists. The Israeli government would be smart to consult them on the proper way forward, in both official and unofficial capacities.
Indeed, one such organization is the new "Friends of Israel Initiative" launched by former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, which consists entirely of prominent non-Jewish leaders from around the world. While an excellent development to be sure, Israel should also launch its own initiatives in advance and for itself, and not rely solely on the work of non-Israelis to make its case for it in the international arena.
The belief among Israeli decision-makers that the only friend they need in the world is the United States, and that the rest -- Europe, the United Nations, developing countries and more -- don't matter is wrong and shortsighted. The world today is more sophisticated, interconnected, and immediate than ever before. Even minor incidents that previously would not have made news are now beamed across the globe instantly. Israel needs to appreciate this fact, and use all the weapons at its disposal in this battle, especially the media.
For a country that has led the world in developing cutting edge communication hardware and software technologies, it is ironic and saddening that it has so far failed to utilize them wisely in its own defense. Nothing less than the legitimacy and survival of the Jewish state are at stake. A proper global communications strategy would go a long way in ensuring that Israel remains a member in good standing among the family of nations for decades to come.