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Photo: Eli Elgarat
Prosor: British press one-sided
Photo: Eli Elgarat
Pro-Israel rally in London
Photo: AFP
Daily anti-Israel protests staged
Photo: AFP

Envoy to UK: Public backs underdog

In interview with Ynet, Ron Prosor says Israeli PR is difficult task when competing with 'shocking' images from Gaza. 'Clearly if rocket was to fall on London they would respond differently,' he says

LONDON – "The British public expects Israel to become a martyr," Israel's ambassador to the UK told Ynet Wednesday. Ron Prosor was referring to the IDF operation in Gaza.

 

"It's very clear that if just one rocket were to fall on London they would respond differently. British society identifies totally and automatically with the underdog, and we are perceived as strong," Prosor said.

 

"How can it be that in the three years in which we have been telling the story of Sderot on every possible stage and displaying the intolerable daily lives of residents, no left-wing organization or protest organization has called for the condemnation of this absurd situation?" he asked.

 

The ambassador is a very busy man these days. Since the IDF launched its offensive in Gaza the embassy has been hard at work and all vacations have been canceled. Daily protests are staged outside its gates, and many have seen fit to close it during regular working hours.

 

"I as ambassador decided that we are not splitting," Prosor said. "The embassy is open and the Israeli flag is lifted in the capital of the United Kingdom."

 

He also rejected notions that Israel's global public relations campaign was failing. "It's natural, especially in Israel, for there to be claims against the global PR," he said. Prosor has published 40 articles in the Daily Telegraph, while his Palestinian counterpart lags behind at 16.

 

However, he said, "It's hard to explain with words the pictures emerging from Gaza. They transcend the screen and create empathy and sympathy for families, and the public here is unwilling to connect this with the residents of Sderot."

 

Prosor added that the embassy was handing over visual material and written messages to the media at a very significant pace, but the material could not compete with the ghastly images from Gaza. "They transcend the screen better because they are so shocking," he said.

 

'British press one-sided'

The ambassador has previously criticized Israel's PR budget, claiming that it was far diminished from that of the popular Israeli dessert, 'Milky'. "Global public opinion is part of Israel's national security and we must invest more resources in order to really reach the public – through use of PR films or YouTube videos, for example," he said.

 

Prosor has chosen to meet with Liberal-Democratic British Parliament members who, during a debate in which he claims only verbal attacks on Israel were allowed, called for his expulsion from the country.

 

"A large part of the British press is one-sided, like the Guardian or the BBC, and so many times we find ourselves on the defensive or the offensive," he said.

 

However the ambassador was pleased with the recent pro-Israeli demonstration in Trafalgar Square. "After a number of protests against Israel, an identification rally of this size at the central Trafalgar Square feels very good, not just to me as ambassador, but to the entire community," he said.

 


פרסום ראשון: 01.14.09, 22:53
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