with legal action. The number of patently false claims that come out of the media and "rights" organizations should be minimised by making them pay for libel.

Well, well, finally someone comes up with a good idea. Israel's PR is the worst on the planet, surprising for the supposedly "People of the book". With B. Madoff (contributor to various Israeli charities or so we thought) we ourselves are undermining Israel. But, any agency must coordinate under the foreign ministry. I watched Livni a few years ago, counter, her boss's view of the entire conflict, on a loca PBS TV show. Of course, the interviewer, pro-Palis, encouraged the naive Livni. Simply have the head of the agency, meet with the F.M..once/week to discuss Israel's public exposure, whether Gaza or the disengagement. For a small country, Israel seems too divided. Perhaps using the 90,000 yeshiva students part time..as ambassadors of goodwill would help. This is a small payback for all THEY receive from the State. Having children is fine, but they need F15s and the IDF to make sure they survive. 1.5m children did not during WW2., partly because the Jews had no defense.

Hopefully, it doesn't come too late because while Israel has always been very good at winning military victories, they've allowed the Arabs to win the propaganda war hands down. In fact, it's an inexplicable failure that has probably done the country untold damage.

The damage this one propaganda organ has done to Israel is irreparable. Haaretz is what every Israel hating holds up to prove the spew they're peddling. Take a look at the daily helping of anti IDF stories being published using as evidence gossip and rumors. But in the world press, its being reported as "eye witnesses" and Israel is being badly demonized as a country of child killers and war criminals. You can trace much of this directly back to Gideon Levy and Amira Hass who have motives that need to be publicly examines. If Israel cannot rein in their own Jewish anti semites and Israel haters, how can you possibley expect to ever counter the vile anti Israel propaganda. Its Israelis and Jews themselves who are spreading some of the worst of it. Thanks to ourselves we have to counteract the popular Khazar theory that none of us are even connected to Israel all the way to the stories (thanks to Haaretz) that the Army is making T shirts bragging about killing babies (see I told you the Israelis kill babies) and now today, its how the IDF soldiers were ordered to shoot "rescue workers" ... you really need to stop this because it's always reported around the world not as the musings of one reservist who was never in Gaza durimng operations, but as absolute truth backed up by eye witnesses and rampant. Haaretz is the very worst element in Israeli's PR battle.

No PR can compensate for the gutless weakling olmert israel has as PM. Perhaps israel will have wonderful times as it withdraws from the west bank to go along with the great times from gaza. You have 1) the moron and putz olmert followed by 2) the attractive, brave but lame Livni who goes around saying 2 states while abbas refuses to recognize israel as a jewish state. There are no chosen people when you have leaders of this calibre. Olmert in particular is the biggest tragedy to befall israel since adolphe hitler. It will take years to repair the damage. To show you that israel is rotten to the corp, he won't even get jail time as his friends will bail him out, watch.

Good Morning. It's called Hasbara

And I'd like to volunteer to join such an department.

When interviewed on the international media, its spokesmen answer questions as if talking to their domestic media, instead of taking a pro-active, aggressive approach . They should see their job as educational, putting the facts out. Why don't we react to Pallywood, and to other distortions? We are a nation of lawyers, for Heaven's sake, yet we are all struck dumb! Why don't we tell them simple basic truths such as that the Jews are the only ones who ever had a nation-state here, and that in 1920 the world recognized our national rights to this land, and that 800,000 Jews were expelled from Arab countries, etc. The answer is that Israel, believing it has no choice but to accept the world's position, allows itself to be boxed into a corner. We should defend our unquestionable, elementary, legitimate rights and tell the truth as presented at : http://xrl.us/bi5c6

Well dressed spokesmen and women are needed who are fluent in the language they are being interviewed in -- especially young people who represent the polygot of citizens in Israel ---this is a war Israel can win if it tries----and it needs a PR ministry to do this

and while mirroring that same approch, offense as the best defense, this PR leg of the government can take the burden off the actual politicians who must then return to the true offensive - keeping Israel alive and unharmed.

Are you proposing some kind of public lie factory to counteract the sharpshooter "One shot, two kills!" stories?

Call it as it is. It is an art.

I'm also tired of the horrible bias against Israel. But rather than engaging in PR, stop expansion of settlements. Why lend credence to our enemies? I know they'll hate us in any case -- still, settlement expansion interferes w/legitimate military operations, and is self-defeating.

What the Arabs can't achieve by war they try to do by propoganda (in the hope the world will boycott Israel) so an Israeli PR department makes sense. There are over 50 Muslim countries and far left and far right Jew haters and also Arabs and Muslims who have moved in throughout the West. So, it's no easy job but Israel has to defend itself against the verbal aggression.

I vote for, One of Israel's finest this day and age, Dr. Ra_anan Gissin,,, When he was the spokesman for Sharon the world certainly heard Israel's side. Israel certainly needs a 'world' spokesperson.

I WANT TO BE THE FIRST TO ENROLL.

Not even hiring the whole of Madison Avenue could change the international pariah image Israel has won. When he get's into the President's office Bibi will learn once and for all that Enough Is Enough. The USA, theinternational community and growing numbers of Jews will no longer tolerate Israelis' persistent "They're all out to get us again. Look how we've suffered", especially from those who were born decades after the holocaust. We've abused that and all our other excuses for our addiction to excess in all we do in the region, to the point where, and I speak as a survivor, the Holy of Holies - the Shoah - has been devalued and very few are impressed by it any more. A PR Ministry? That's as much of a joke as the Council the writer formerly chaired.

is directly related to the reasons enunciated by Adi Mintz.. We (Israel) are at a deficit because we lack the means to make our nation known as it really is, neither nationally nor internationally, nor do we possess the means to make our case known from a political perspective. Although al-Jazeera is very professional, we could go it one better. We have the amazing stories to tell from this great land, from ancient Israel until now. And along with our stories, we can explain who we are and why we defend ourselves and whom we are defending ourselves against. The politics may be told from many angles, ancient, modern, biblical, current, religious, secular ... This format could be initiated by government but best as a public/private venture. I asked Danny Ayalon, Yisrael Beiteinu MK, while he was campaigning, what he thought of the idea and he agreed it was a good one. Our programmes could be televised in Hebrew (naturally), Arabic, English, in all the major European languages and in the languages of the Far East. As a public/private enterprise, I forsee the television station actually making a profit while doing a world of good for our country. Unfortunately, according to an acquaintance whose company has been working on starting up this project for the past seven years, no where have these entrepreneurs and professional media people been able to obtain seed money although everyone (in an official capacity) agrees that it's a great idea. As a result, we (Israel) repeatedly lose in the Court of International Opinion. We need to take a different direction and fight the battles as they are posed take ourselves into new arenas.

my companion comments, I also agree with Talkbacker "Burn Down Haaretz" and his concerns about Amira Haas and Gideon Levy. In general, much of the Israeli Jewish media are our worst enemies as well as outlets like Ameinu in the USA. At least those outlets housed in Israel could be forced, by mandate, to temper themselves during wartime. Even Canada (my alternative home) had a War Measures Act impressed upon it by the then prime minister during the height of the Quebec surge for independence. Our freedoms, including the freedoms of the press and media, must be balanced by our needs for survival. However In Israel, specious leftwing liberal rules regarding "freedoms" disregard the survival needs of the nation. It's as if Jews, wanting to be such paragons of ethics and, by extension, to be so well thought of by the academic elite the fashionable in the international community, are willing to jeopardize their own founding nation to be well regarded.

PR can't change the facts of occupation and number of children killed by Israel.

Israel needs an English language television station on a par with Al Jazeera. Not for propoganda purposes necessarily but in order to show the world what Israel really is: a vibrant, modern, diverse, racially integrated state. It is of the utmost necessity that this is done now and that it is fronted by native English speakers in a mature, responsible, intellectual and professional manner. Only then will Israel be able to counter the virulent hatred spouted by the world's media.

Mr. Mintz seems to be among the very few Israelis who has learned a nonmilitary lesson from "Cast Lead". The Arabs a constantly winning the PR war and it's a shame Israel is at such a disadvantage. "Government Spokespeople", "IDF Spokespeople", etc., etc. are not coordinated in their efforts. I'm not certain an entire Ministry is necessary, perhaps a Bureau. In any case, these people should be attached to Consulates and Embassies and here in the USA Israel should hire young, highly educated and motivated Jewish communications/motivational and public relations professionals. Most importantly, any Israeli Government or military figure engaged to speak publicly should have to speak the host language like a native, or have to engage someone from this Bureau to prepare his remarks.

You took these words from my heart.. Thanks

Agree with every word!!! Before vestablishing PR Ministry, shut up the enemy diotribe from within.

I agree with you n100%

you need to learn how to put israel's case across forcefully for example do not apologize about the occupation the allies had to occupy Nazi Germany and similarly Israel has to occupy the west bank or since it is difficult to differentiate civilians from suicide bombers every civilian can be treated as a suicide bomber and dealt in the appropriate manner

There is no occupation the west bank is part of Israel

as opposed to the fake made up one