Opinion
Israeli PR disaster, again
Roni Sofer
Published: 01.06.10, 00:46
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51 Talkbacks for this article
1. A good shot in the leg
Arab ,   Australia   (06.01.10)
Keep up the goo shooting Israel! The Arabs don't need to fight you any more. You are doing a good job for them.
2. Blame
Pete ,   Australia   (06.01.10)
When a country has its spokespeople publicly blaming each other, its a reflection of a serious malaise in the leadership. Where is the Israeli ingenuity and wisdom and leadership ? There needs to be some serious introspection. A clever country cannot sustain such poor strategic outcomes as Israel has been suffering for the past several years.
3. killing people by jews always justified
Jalal ,   Gaza   (06.01.10)
killing people by jews always justified and when someone try to tell them that they were wrong >>> he will punish by the "antisemitism weapon"
4. Do you think being awake would change the facts?
michael ,   sao paulo   (06.01.10)
The disaster is not the PR, is the operation itself! How idiotic can this government be?
5. Why is Israel so incompetent when it comes to PR & Hasbarah?
Flavio ,   Sao Paulo, Brazil   (06.01.10)
I every other field of human knowledge, Israel excels and shines: science, techonology, arts, literature, music, military skills, when it comes to PR & Hasbarah, however, Israel's record is as low and poor as it gets. It seems that everytime there's a choice between a better approach and a worse one, Israeli officials always -and I means always- will choose the worst possible. There's seems to have no concern whatsoever, among those in charge and their teams, for damage control, for the terrible repercussions operations like that can have if matters are left adrift. I've been writing time and time again, in Ynet takbacks, about the catastrophiceffects of Israel's disregard for PR & hasbarah efforts. The current USA administration is bltatantly anti-Israel and American support will not be able to be taken for granted in 5 or perhaps 10 years, given the haunting and ever increasing pace of both assimilation and loss of interest for Israel among Israeli Jews, which will ultimately lead to a irretrievable loss of political leverage and influence in the USA. Also, as the balance of international power shifts toward a multipolar world, with new players much less sympathetic to Israel (and ultimately to Jews themselves), it is of paramount importance to give proper and urgent attention to Israel's foreign relations and to its standing and image among the international community. Matters must be thought strategically, Israel cannot afford to adopt an ostrich policy of denial towards a glaring and emerging reality.
6. somebody need to kick someone in the Israeli gov
ghostq   (06.01.10)
they r sleeping, they do nothing and mumbling Israel need better PR agent indeed.
7. Silence of the Lambs
Shimon ,   Loveland, USA   (06.01.10)
What? Only in living rooms you open your mouths? True. You wait like sheep for "HaG'dolim" to speak. Then you have permission. Too bad no one had "Baytzim" to show the IDF tapes and have something ready in case things went not ideally. But that would take "Yuzmah" which is bred out of the "P'kidim".... No one to pick up the reins...so, opportunities are lost. Oh yeah....knowing this was going down, why did Netanyahu leave the country and take those two with him? More foresight.
8. Is a PR disaster worse than blood in Israel’s hands?
Marcos ,   Massachusetts, USA   (06.01.10)
This old Jew, most of whose relatives were killed in the Holocaust, is saddened by the fact that a Jewish country has become so corrupt and amoral that you worry more about your PR than about your bloody hands.
9. The failure in PR
Keit ,   Canada   (06.01.10)
The failure of PR is not due to the failure of quick response, but because there is a limit to BS that people can take. And it doesn't matter how much PR Israel will do, some things, like blatant war crimes, for example, can not be defended or explained by Hasbara tactics. Israel should learn that people of the world are not blind.
10. pr
jim ,   us   (06.01.10)
hmm so the problem is one of pr. the killing of folks in international waters could be explained by pr. to date other than a video from a uav and a pathetic photo of whar looks like kitchen knives an bits and pieces found on any ship this is whathas seen served up as israels pr. i expect we will soon hear those knives had iranian markings. no pr will explain what was pure and simple a massacre in international waters
11. PR stunt staged by Tehran!
David P. ,   USA   (06.01.10)
the Mullahs knew quite well what awaited the combatants on board
12. PR Chief & IDF Leadership vs Sofer
LJ ,   USA   (06.01.10)
Regarding Roni Sofer article- Sounds to me like Sofer may be working for the other side, possibly some latent pro Hammas tendencies? At best this article protrays petty & immature reporting. Sofer you must think the world revolves around you? What a baby....The least you could do is give credit where it's due! Wake up ---Isreal is basically in a pre-war readiness state at all time. Wake up out of your dream world. Stop distorting the TRUTH. And let go of your ego centeredness. You should be ashamed for not standing with Isreal IDF leadership. I hope Ynetnews fires you!
13. The World Hates Jews...It's Our History
Dan ,   USA   (06.01.10)
China kills thousands of dissidents, Russia invades Georgia, 3,000 killed in U.S. by terrorists, genocide in Africa, N.Korea sinks S.Korea ship and so it goes. There is no major outcry from any country except those that took the brunt of the deaths. But not much from the UN or other countries. That is because the aggressors were not Jews. Israel being a Jewish state allows all of the anti semetic countries in the world, and most are, to condem the Jews. If Israel did nothing more than give each passenger on these ships a box of candy, the world would complain it was not medical supplies or some other nonsense. France and England have always been anti semetic and both will be under sharia law in 20 years. Obama is a Muslim who went to a church for 19 years where the minister taught hatred io Jews. Obama main foreign agenda is to weaken Israel. Israeli's must support their government and stay strong against the rest of the world. You are Jews and they hate you. It's that simple.
14. Don't dismiss this as
Portnoy ,   Devon, USA   (06.01.10)
just a "PR" problem: it's the latest in a string of problems with Israeli behavior.
15. the internet and news
Jeanette Jarmon ,   Clinton, MS USA   (06.01.10)
I felt the initial news i was getting on the internet was not fair to the Truth, the whole story about the raid. So, I googled "Israel websites" and am able to see the truth. Maybe more people than you know look up your side. I am pro-Israel. So is my whole family, because we are Christians. Many people in America do not believe our main media sources. Maybe you should advertise your news websites in America and around the world to make people think about checking your side of the news online. I pray for the peace of Jerusalem. I live in Mississippi-the coast of the Gulf of Mexico where the great oil spill is. Please read the last book of the Bible, Revelation 8:8, where John sees a vision of something like a great mountain falling in the sea, the sea looking like blood, and 1/3 of sea life and 1/3 of ships destroyed. I understand that all prophesies for Jesus' return have been fulfilled. So please research all t his for yourself.
16. Israeli PR disaster, again
Paul F. ,   Los Angeles USA   (06.01.10)
What right does Israel have to launch an armed military raid on a ship in international waters?
17. This was a PR setup but Israel handled it very poorly
Bloodyscot ,   Dallas, Texas   (06.01.10)
The Activist set a trap knowing that a vote on Iran sanctions was coming soon, while the blockade had to be upheld, Israel used poor judgment in how to stop it.
18. Thank G-d for Israeli supporters on Facebook
Lioness ,   Israel   (06.01.10)
We put over our (Israel's) case for free and with love!
19. it was not a public relations disaster
Golan ,   modiin   (06.01.10)
public relation disaster was when Israel apologized for the Al Durah affair before realizing it was not us who shot and faked the deaths. Israel got the facts and the other side were READY for the fallout and ambush. That is the difference. Besides Liberman said that the flotilla was violent before it even left Cypress. I am tiered of the criticism being thrown around. The Israelis like always acted like good little boys and girls, got out top soldiers hurt and for what? OUR left still called their unarmed attempt to commander the infiltrators a "violent takeover." The problem is our detractors not us. And what do you want our PR team to do? Talk without getting the facts straight?
20. Achilles was Jewish, no? At least his podiatrist thinks so..
Brian Cohen ,   Judean Peoples Front   (06.01.10)
Doesn't matter whose heel it is, it's gimpy. The IDF, the foreign ministry and the prime minister's office are all reactionary. In a very kneejerk way, of course. And anybody whose torn their Achilles heel knows that you simply can't move very fast with that type of injury. Except in Israel, it's a chronic condition. Israeli tv news channels 2 and 10 were showing slow-mo highlighted footage that the Turks or Al-Jazeera took, with circles drawn around the people on the boat beating the IDF soldiers with metal bars and very clearly one guy stabbing a soldier in the back with a huge knife. Did the short few seconds of the protester stabbing the soldier get released by the government or the army? Of course not. They can't think that straight, even though the ammunition was there for them to use right at the very beginning of the incident. And, of course, there's the big picture issue: why didn't Bibi say something last week about Turkey sponsoring an obvious incitement in the region? Everybody knew that the IDF would stop the boats, yet the Turks pushed it straight into a confrontation. The Turks instigated an international incident, and Israel simply took the bait. Is Israel just a hungry dumb fish, swallowing every baited hook that comes our way?
21. Israel needs a Ben Gurion not these clowns and crooks
(06.01.10)
22. Attacks on the Humanitarian Ships
Ian McDade ,   Manchester UK   (06.01.10)
The is surely a hint of irony in the fact Israel persists in ensuring the people of Gaza live in conditions comparable to concentrations camps and now State Sponsored Piracy. I also blame America who seem to turn a blind eye to such attrocities.
23. For God's Sake Its Not the PR..
Ussishkin ,   Tel Aviv Israel   (06.01.10)
Its the disaster of our handling this, not how you could hide it under a bright shiny PR cloud! Smell the reality - we were sucked into a mess everyone else saw coming, except us and we exceeded their expectations of just how much of a mess we could make of it.
24. Blah Blah Blah PR !
Simon ,   Poleg   (06.01.10)
Makes no difference. Whatever spin you try to put on this the world will never accept a Jewish country that defends itself, enforces international law and according to the San Remo conference boards a boat after warning it, outside international waters is OK if according to protocol which Israel did etc. the world will always hate the Jew get over it and move on! we must defend ourselves and fight this scum and screw what everyone lese thinks! The whole world was against Sri Lanka in its war against the Tamil tigers. including US Europe and India. Sri Lanka ignored the world and finished the job! we must do the same we can learn alot from the 'peaceful' Buddhists of Sri Lanka!
25. PR war
tiki ,   belgium   (06.01.10)
You want to win the WAR or the PR war? Israel wil NEVER win the PR war because NOBODY want's to HEAR it's message. The world is ONLY interested in the 'fate of the poor Pals, and is looking for EVERY OPPORTUNITY to restart their ANTI ISRAEL HATE FEST, which is good for the Media, it fills TV programs and sells newspapers. I live here and see it happen again and again. Poor Africa, Kurds, Congo, Afghanistan, Iran, etc. DON't sell, so a short Item now and than is not enough to fill evening programs like the Israel/Pals 'discussions where 'all the 'experts are invited and the media theater can begin. The MEDIA thanks GD. for opportunities like this. If Israel is trying to 'win the PR war, it will 'lose the REAL war out of 'fear not to look good in the Media. Reality check: All this media attention hasn't changed the life of ONE Palestinian, so it may LOOK important but in reality it isn't.
26. PR arena taken over? So what!
Janice Cohen ,   ירושלים   (06.01.10)
When was the last time (if ever) these inept terrorists took over any part of the Land of Israel?
27. One of the major causes of Israel's difficult position in...
Ron B. ,   Lod   (06.01.10)
One of the major causes of Israel's difficult position in world public opinion. Spoken Arabic is replete with exaggeration, verbal pathos, and the frequent use of high-flown phrases. This approach contrasts completely with the language of understatement in Western culture. This linguistic contrast contributes to a major problem of communication between members of the two different cultural spheres. What happens in an encounter between Arab culture's language of overstatement and Western culture's language of understatement? This is one of the major causes of Israel's difficult position in world public opinion which believes the Arab culture of exaggeration reflects an actual reality. But in order to understand the absolute truth : http://xrl.us/bjdxh
28. Sometimes,if talk's was Silver , then silence is gold
Salma ,   Palestine   (06.01.10)
They were silent ,perhaps because they were in shock, don't forget two "Israeli" soldiers were injured !!
29. as usual
ben Ish   (06.01.10)
So many missed opportunities. Why was there at least not a pre-emptive statement? For example this would have been a great opportunity for Israel to introduce the world to the saga of Gilad Shalit. Are there any supplies on those ships for him? Do you need all those supplies because you destroyed all the greenhouses the Jews built for you? 10,000 tons? Why so little? Israel delivered 14,000 tons last week. The, umm, -Egyptian- port is that-a-way -> All the world was watching, and Israel did not take the opportunity to point out anything, and instead sits quietly while the rest of the world foams up into a rancid hatred fueled by ignorance and fanned into flames by the murderous organizers.
30. #22 TO THE SELF-RIGHTEOUS IAN
LAWRENCE ,   SAFED ISRAEL   (06.01.10)
Unlike you sir ,I live in this neck of the woods/ part of the world. I know ,even better than you ,the miserable conditions people in Gaza live in .Perhaps they need to grow up and take some responsibility for themselves. Stop blaming Israel for everything little thing and stop treating palestinians like children ,you merely encourage and prolong their suffering .As for piracy ?? coming from a limey that is a bit rich .Go laddy ,run along and sing : "RULE BRITANNIA BRITANNIA RULES THE WAVES."
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