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David or Goliath? (Illustration)
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Who’s the real David?

Op-ed: Palestinian public relations campaign seeks to falsely equate Israel with role of goliath

One of the greatest mistakes of the Western world is the surrender to a new type of public relations war that casts doubt on the right of sovereign states to defend themselves. In the past, when a state was threatened, it had the right to use force to defend itself against this threat.

 

In the 21st century, a massive public relations campaign has convinced many that terrorists are, in fact, freedom fighters, and that the states that sponsor terror organizations are legitimate. While many have realized that terrorism alone cannot achieve certain goals, when coupled with a large-scale public relations campaign, it has great potential to change the global agenda.

 

 

An umbrella of Muslim states, the Arab League, and other states seeking hegemonic power support these efforts in the name of justice and equality. Conversely, any state that fights terrorism and crimes against humanity – such as the firing of missiles on civilian communities, the sending of car bombs, or boycotts which attempt to destroy the economies of those seeking self-defense – have been labeled criminals, and charged with war crimes.

 

Somehow, Palestinian terrorism has been labeled "David," while Israel, in attempting to defend itself, "Goliath" – this is an ingenious success of a multi-faceted global public relations campaign.

 

In 1948, a small Jewish settlement, recognized by the UN as a state, was attacked by seven Arab armies simultaneously, and was thus, labeled "David. "However, upon victory, this budding state became "Goliath," while the losing side became "David".

 

This switch of labels could not be further from the truth – despite the fact that Israel has a strong army, it still remains "David," as its central goal is to defend itself, while its enemies are those who attack. However, this public relations campaign has called into question the right to self defense.

 

I would not be surprised if, as part of this public relations campaign, the Palestinians approached the United Nations with the following request – removing the text in the Bible that states that Goliath was of Philistine people, claiming that this reference constitutes incitement.

 

Dr. David Altman is Senior Vice President of Netanya Academic College and Vice-Chair of the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Strategic Dialogue

 

 


פרסום ראשון: 07.18.11, 00:41
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