Israeli PR officials snoozing

Following a long summer vacation, again we'll be hearing calls on campuses to boycott Israel in light of "the use of disproportional force" in the recent Lebanon war. And in the face of this commotion, what does Israel do to promote its own interests? As far as we know, nothing.

In the face of endless declarations by Bashar Assad, Hassan Nasrallah, and Khaled Mashal, we are familiar with one declaration and one leak from Olmert's office: The declaration was that we would not be negotiating with Syria, and that the Golan will remain in Israeli hands for eternity. The leak was about a secret meeting with a Saudi representative, a report that was strongly denied by the royal house.

This is apparently the extent of Israel's foreign and public relations policy. Where is the foreign minister? She's silent. Is there indeed nothing our government can say while Arab countries are creating, with mere words, a new reality that will serve as the basis of the international community's position on our region?

It appears that following the rift of the Lebanon war and with the evaporation of the realignment idea, Israel is left without a designed conception vis-à-vis the Palestinians and Arabs. There is a need for in-depth discussions – and possibly even political and military developments on the ground – in order to see a new or renewed peace process doctrine emerge out of the darkness.

And what's happening in the meantime? Doesn't anyone think Israel's foreign and PR policy has a vital role to play throughout the year? We are facing numerous complex tasks: Presenting the situation in the Middle East to the world, as Israel sees it; thwarting hostile moves against the country in the diplomatic front at the UN and its institutions; hindering the growing siege in the global media; struggling against Muslim anti-Semitism, which threatens Jews wherever they live, and through them threatens Israel's status – and this is of course a partial list only.

Did Israel approach the UN and environmental groups, for example, and complained about the damages caused by Hizbullah's Katyusha rockets to Galilee forests? Did Israel submit a complaint to the UN over the intentional firing of missiles at communities and heavy damages sustained by thousands of homes and public buildings? Is Jerusalem tirelessly pressing the UN secretary general to act for the speedy release of our abductees in Lebanon?

As we may recall, he is entrusted with the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701, whose preface explicitly calls for the release of the two soldiers unconditionally.

Missiles and genocide

Why isn't Israel bringing to the attention of the world, on a regular basis, the ongoing firing of Qassam rockets on Sderot and western Negev communities that contradicts all international conventions?

The foreign media publishes daily the casualty toll on the Palestinian side, but nobody bothers to make clear to the world, time and again, the severity of the ceaseless harassment of peaceful citizens in their homes on the part of terror groups, and this after Israel evacuated the Gaza Strip and provided the Palestinian Authority with an opportunity to develop its economy.

European public opinion is completely unfamiliar with the issue or with the circumstances that require the IDF to act, and often to kill.

Why isn't the Foreign Ministry presenting to the world the ongoing smuggling into the Gaza Strip of terror experts, missiles and explosives through the Philadelphi route? If international public opinion won't internalize the problem now, the expected IDF operation against Hamas will again be met with a European lack of understanding and media hostility, which will make it difficult for the IDF to end the operation the way we want it to end.

Why isn't there a clear, ongoing policy aiming to present Hamas – as clearly noted in its own charter – as an arm of the Muslim Brotherhood? After all, the latter organization developed the modern radical Islamic ideology and aspires to destroy Israel, take over Arab countries, reestablish the Caliphate, and Islamize Europe – and we can say all this in a loud and clear voice now, without anyone responding with contempt.

Why doesn't Israel approach Sweden and ask that it submit, on Israel's behalf, a complaint to the Security Council regarding Ahmadinejad's declared intention to eliminate the Jewish state? In 2004, Sweden's prime minister initiated an international convention aimed at examining how genocide can be identified in its early stages and how it can be stopped or thwarted. Dozens of wonderful speeches were delivered during that convention by leading international lawyers regarding the pre-stages of the genocide itself.

And here, right before are eyes, there is a clear example of a president who announces his intentions in advance and openly works to develop nuclear weapons with the aim of implementing those intentions. Doesn't Sweden hold any responsibility in this matter?

We can expect that the government of Israel, in accordance with Foreign Ministry proposals, would formulate a decisive PR and diplomatic strategy in order to present its situation and the series of threats it faces.

We can also expect the government to utilize all means available to it, such as: The establishment of an Arabic-language television station, in order to develop dialogue with the Arab world and make our positions clear without intermediaries; preparing response teams to counter the fiery declarations made by our neighbors and to face European media; organizing and encouraging demonstrations in world capitals, in order to draw attention to hostile or anti-Semitic activity. And there are many more possibilities.

We would also expect to see the foreign minister and top ministry officials traveling from one capital to another, constantly submitting to interviews, and holding more and more press conferences, so that Israel's voice will resonate throughout the media, leading to indirect and direct pressure on world leaders.

In practice, almost none of this is being done, and our status only continues to deteriorate. The PR distress even prevents to some extent the utilization of the IDF in the desired manner.

In this era of communication and media, diplomacy and PR may even serve to prevent war. There is no certainty such successes can be achieved, but if there is no choice but to fight, it is essential that world opinion at least be on our side. As there are no indications that the government of Israel is moving in that direction, perhaps we require a full state inquiry into this issue too, before it's too late.

The writer served as Israel's ambassador to Sweden and Egypt