Abstract/Summary

Yes the media is anti-Israel and the media is biased. Yes it is hard to understand why the world thinks the way it does. However the international media and world public opinion is an arena that Israel cannot ignore, it is too important. It directly affects how long Israel can carry out military operations as well as having significant economic implications. It should be treated by the Israeli government as a real battleground and given the sufficient funds and resources. Unfortunately Israel's performance in this arena during the war in Gaza has not been good enough. It is as if Israel is fighting the battle without an army. This petition requests the government of Israel to set up an official committee, made up of politicians, journalists, PR professionals and people with other relevant skills, charged with establishing a PR department that is fitting for the state of Israel and that can fight Israel's battle in the international media. After all, the pen is mightier than the sword.

Please sign this petition if you agree that such a committee should be established.

International Public Opinion

There are many reasons for Israel's difficult position in the international media; anti-Semitism, the large muslim minorities in western countries, muslim commercial might, support for the underdog etc. These must not be used as excuses for Israel's poor performance in this arena. Israel must change its mindset and understand that this is a battleground. The army would never say, "there is no point in trying the whole world is against us." They would say ok the whole world is against us how do we win. And winning does not mean having everyone in the world agree with us. We must realize that international public opinion is not one individual that needs to be convinced. It is many millions of people, some of whom will always be anti-Israel and some who will always be pro-Israel, but most of the people are somewhere in the middle. Many of them have an open mind and are keen to hear Israel's side of the story. Is Israel getting to them? I am afraid she is not. I am not even sure Israel is getting to its supporters. In fact there has been a decline in support from the diaspora in recent years. Israel cannot afford to let this continue because she is losing this war.

Suggested Points for the Committee to investigate

I am not a media or PR professional, however during the conflict I saw many areas for improvement which are detailed below. I believe every Israel supporter has their own list and these are just examples of the things that the committee could investigate, if it so decides.

a) Clear Messaging. What were the strategic and tactical messages that Israel wanted to present to the media? How do these messages fit into Israel's strategic and tactical messages during peace time? Does Israel have such messages during peace time? There were at least 3 pro-Israel messages during the conflict. Israel is fighting a just war; Hamas is using human shields; the foreign press is not presenting the whole picture. Israel has many supporters across the globe, Jew and non-Jew alike, which message were they supposed to try and convey? What was the official line of the Israeli government? The Palestinians understand the importance of a single clear and simply message. Their message to the world is the Israelis are 'evil' they either steal our land or kill us. All Palestinians and their supporters have been using this message for years in quiet times as well as times of conflict and that is why it works so well. Is there a central body responsible for Israel's PR, developing clear strategic and tactical messages? If so, why not?

b) Formulating Israel's message. Do Israeli representatives know how best to present Israel's case in various countries and on various networks. It doesn't appear that way. Does Israel have any form of PR consultancy where PR professionals help formulate and spin the message Israel wants to present? Has the government of Israel run focus groups in other countries in order to understand how best to present Israel's message. Remember that a message tailored to an American audience will be understood differently by a British audience. Are Israel's representatives aware of such differences? Professional methods can help Israel understand and better tailor its message.

c) Presenting Israel's Message. During the conflict Israeli representatives were caught out by aggressive TV interviewers. What is being done to reduce these incidences to a bare minimum? For example is there a team of professionals that analyze all previous interviews by a specific interviewer in order to understand how best to respond and present Israel's case? Are all interviews analyzed for new trends or difficult questions and is there a central body that formulates responses in line with the strategic and tactical messages that Israel wants to present?

d) Utilizing the best suited Israel advocate. Does Israel ensure that its spokesmen are best suited for the specific media environment. Does it use representatives that speak with the local accents and understand the nuances of the local language. Does it try to employ locals where possible? Is it best to use an Australian or someone with an American accent to speak to British audiences? Should Israeli politicians be interviewed by foreign networks? Are they the best suited people to present Israel's case to a foreign press? Has Israel checked using focus groups and research which representatives would be most persuasive in conveying Israel's message?

e) Central Resource Center. Where are Israel's supporters supposed to get all of their information from? From a central Israeli source which collates all relevant facts, videos and articles or from a myriad of private initiatives, like Stand with Us, Honest Reporting, UN watch, the IDF, the JPost etc? A central resource site would greatly aid Israel's supporters. In addition such a site must provide a counter point to every point made by the Palestinians. This involves creativity and data collection. For example the number of Palestinian refugees was widely quoted as 200,000. However the number of Israelis that fled their homes was not reported to my knowledge. One report said that half the population from Otef Aza left their homes but did not give numbers. How many Israelis left their homes due to a lack of shelters and moved further north. Or, publishing the estimated number of Palestinian civilians killed by Hamas rockets. These are just examples and all Israel supporters have countless others that they think of off the top of their heads, a central resource center could help focus all Israel's supporters messages in order to present a much more convincing picture.

f) Take the Initiative. The press did not publish pictures of Hamas terrorists firing missiles from populated areas, using human shields or preventing civilians from fleeing. This is a fact. However Israel's attitude must be- if they won't do it, she will. Israel needs to produce high quality images to support its message. These images need to be in sufficient number in order to counter-act images of dead civilians. Even if these images are not published in the main stream media they will greatly help Israel's supporters around the world convey Israel's message. Israel needs clear colour photos and videos of rockets being fired from houses, Hamas terrorists firing from behind civilians, using ambulances and hospitals etc. Most of the images supplied by the IDF were hazy black and white taken by drones hundreds of meters away. Israel could use technological means to get these pictures. If Israel developed the Iron dome system then it can do something similar in this field. This is essential, the pictures provided so far are simply not good enough.

g) Creative Thinking. The odds are stacked against Israel however if she continues to do what she has always done she will find it hard to win this battle. Israel must develop new methods and modes of media relations in order to engage the media and convey her message. For example why not appoint ambassadors not to countries but to newspapers and networks? Most countries in Europe have 5 main newspapers and 4-5 main news channels. Why not have an ambassador for each. The ambassador can read/watch all Israel related content and correct or provide counter information when needed. They will get to know each organization inside out. They will know how anchors interview and how to respond. More importantly they will build human relationships with people in the news channel and this can be leveraged to improve the networks representation of Israel. It is important that these ambassadors are trained PR professionals and not politicians or diplomats. It is possible to run a test case in one country in Europe in order to see if this approach has benefits.

In a world where the pen is mightier than the sword the international media arena must be treated by the Israeli government as a real battleground with profound strategic importance that can determine the outcome of wars. As such we believe that Israel's PR must be reviewed by people with the appropriate skills in order to prepare it to win Israel's battles.

Please sign this petition if you agree that the government of Israel should set up a committee charged with establishing a PR department that is fitting for the state of Israel and that can fight Israel's battle in the international media.