Opinion
Israel losing the war
Alex Fishman
Published: 20.06.10, 11:40
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45 Talkbacks for this article
1. Only partially true.
Terry ,   Eilat - Israel   (06.20.10)
Yes, we could do a better job with PR, that's painfully evident, especially when listening to some of our spokesmen in the media. Many are a total embarrassment. But, there 's a lot more wrong than PR. First, what's the message? This is a political decision, not a PR problem. At this point in time, due to all the bungling of the past, we are like beggars, reduced only to whinning that we have a right to exist. That's a fine state of affairs, what a bunch of losers we've become. We've managed to undermine our position by accepting our enemies narrative. All our leaders do now is babble about ''peace'' & a two-state solution knowing full well that this is total BS. We can't criticize too harshly our ''moderate peace partner'' Fatah, we wouldn't want to weaken the ''moderates'' - how's that for a joke? Sure, if we told the truth about Fatah & Abbas, how could our idiot leaders justify negotiations with these corrupt terrorists?
2. The end of the Israeli-Arab conflict
Ron B. ,   Lod   (06.20.10)
The only thing that will save or simply preserve Israel is “one definitive military victory after the other.” The Arab world will never give up its envy, hatred, and desire to exterminate the Jewish state. All that Israel can do—is win. And win again. Miraculously if necessary. More at : http://xrl.us/bhpaz9
3. Horrible headline and I read no further ..
rebourn ,   arad israel   (06.20.10)
I have no idea what the article says as I got no further than the HaAretz type headline! A headline that says, "Israel is losing the war" (at best it might have said battle) sounds like more left wing, N. Tel Aviv cappuccino type tripe. Headlines are very important because they are what cause us to read or not read an article. Unless of course we're a friend of the author. Mike
4. Israel and PR
graczek ,   Maryland, USA   (06.20.10)
Even the best and slickest PR in the world will not help the Zionist/Israel cause because the entity/state's very existence is illegitimate in the first place and has been since David Ben Gurion impetuously declared foundation of this entity back in 1948. Nobody with any common sense will be hoodwinked by a pro-Zionist PR effort.
5. The next problem .....
Terry ,   Eilat - Israel   (06.20.10)
So, in brief, we surrendered our narrative & accepted our enemy's narrative. The next problem is our incessant babbling about peace & coexistence. We are so politically correct we've become tongue-tied. Why can't our leaders speak clearly & openly about Islam? Would they show the same reticence about National Socialism? The truth about Islam is no secret, there's no point in beating about the bush. And, I'm not talking about the ''small group of extremists'' or that ''a great religion has been hijacked'' or any of the other misleading platitudes. The problem is mainstream Islam the ideology. We know the doctrines, we know the history, we know the FACTS - and we should state them clearly & openly.
6. Send in the PR People!
M Carr ,   Baltimore   (06.20.10)
I don’t understand where Fishman is going with this but this is how I see it. A blockade is a military tactic and should be run by the military. Fishman suggests that PR people should run blockades for PR purposes. Fishman is wrong. For the life of me I cannot understand how the world has come to the conclusion that Israel failed in it’s confrontation with the Turkish flotilla. The primary goal of the flotilla was to test Israel’s will to enforce the blockade. Well, the supporters of the Gazans have their answer. It is unfortunate that it cost the lives of 9 terrorist [uh, I mean activists] to find this out. In the midst of all the charges and counter-charges, the fact is that no ship has yet managed to forcefully violate the blockade. To my simple mind this is the only PR that matters
7. Disagree completely!!!
Israeli 2   (06.20.10)
We need no hasbara! We need no PR! We need no explanations nor do we owe any!! We owe only one thing and that is to make sure our soldiers' only rules of engagements are the rules of staying alive and kick the enemy's ass. Come on now! Any real soldier knows that!
8. We DON'T HAVE PR professionals!!!!!!
Talula ,   Israel   (06.20.10)
Someone who makes the decisions thinks they know it all - clearly they don't - our PR is absolutely disastrous!!!
9. That would be calamitous!
Paqid Yirmeyahu ,   Ra'anana, Israel   (06.20.10)
PR is an essential element that has been more misunderstood, abused and relegated to back benches than disregarded. But to put PR people in charge of running a war, and this is a war, is a sure recipe for disaster. We seem to be slowly succeeding in teaching generals how to properly utilize PR; but no one will ever teach a PR guru how to fight a war unless he's first a general. Blow this wacky idea off pronto!
10. Time is on our side
Salma ,   Palestine   (06.20.10)
with my greatest respects sir but i always wonder why does the writers don't go strait to the point ...Instead of this nonsense Mr. Fishman, and since you're a senior military analyst ,you must offer a strategic solution and not tactical This is not a movie but unfortunately is a fact, the issue is not how "Israel" will face the women flotilla !!!!! but how should make peace instead of war, except that ,sorry you're in the wrong way
11. The PR problem
Tim ,   Brighton   (06.20.10)
Negative PR in the UK dates right back to the 80s where the Settlers had dominated the waves - and their almost daily bombardment of their dogmatic, insensitive and arrogant views toward any settlement with the Palestinians when the majority were in favour of negotiation was the beginning if a build up of negative attitudes toward Israel Thats why it is so important now to up the anti on PR and ensure that the PR initiative rests with the elected Government Not only to counter bias and factual inaccuracies that pervades some of the press and in particular the shocking and at times comic coverage by the BBC but more importantly to ensure that the media and global public are given the FACTS - day in day out about developments, about distortions in the press, broadcast media, politicians etc, about violations, speeches of incitement, and DO NOT GO UNANSWERED In addition the Israeli Military and Politicians need to ensure that every single violation is logged and properly published and sent to the media DAILY Take Operation Cast Lead Had Israel made it clear to the UN with the attendant media coverage that Hamas along with the UN AND the population of Gaza that Hamas had 1 week to cease all missiles into Israel and failing that Israel would have no choice but to retaliate by force - Israel would have received an entirely different reaction to the one experienced Israel needs to create a PR Machine - with contributors all over the world watching and reporting bias and distortions, create a corps of around 100 communicators in all major languages skilled at debating and representing Israels case and most important getting Israels present leadership to rid itself of its bunker mentality and take initiatives to drive the peace process forward by keeping ALL lines of communication open
12. Let God run the show!!
Yizrael ,   Israel   (06.20.10)
That's when Israel wins!!
13. #10 - male and female terrorists are the same.
redbourn ,   arad israel   (06.20.10)
Israel has had its share of lunatic female bombers and knows how to deal with them. If they use weapons and threaten then they will be shot - simple as that. Why "lunatic" ? Because the deepest seated instinct that we have is survival, so a person that blows themselves up is sick and needs treatment or extermination. Time is on your side? Are you talking about decades, centuries, thousands of years or millions of years. Jews return en masse after 2000 years and took back their country. Better to think about Europe ;-) Most of Europe will be Islamic within thirty years unless the countries there give up their democracies. Mike
14. :: Fishman just doesn’t get it
Matty Groves ,   Fairport   (06.20.10)
Israel’s ‘PR’ is only as good as the actual ‘product’ behind it. For example if Apple launched a new iPhone with huge Marketing and PR everyone one would think “Cool I can’t wait to get one!” However if this new iPhone was full of flaws and didn’t work properly people will be turned off and no longer believe the hype. If Apple *kept* on producing faulty iPhone on every release people would soon write the iPhone off as a cr@p product no matter the amount of Marketing and PR that Apple threw behind it. Only by *fixing* the product and making it better will people revert back to buying it again. The same is true of Israel, only when Israel stops its bullying rhetoric and atrocious deeds/war crimes will people start believing in Israel again. There is also the “BS factor”. The Israeli military (funded by the US taxpayer) fights mostly at home from behind massive amour and firepower against a lightly armed enemy like Hamas. Pretending that Israel is a ‘little David’ against a ‘massive Goliath’ is pretty hard to swallow, Israel needs to interject a certain amount of ‘realism’ into its claims/PR otherwise people will easily recognize the BS and be turned off. To sum up: The Israeli brand can only be improved if Israel changes itself for the better and cuts back on the BS.
15. Pure and simple: Arrogance of Native Israelis
Yarad Etti ,   USA   (06.20.10)
Common sense will never prevail in Israel... mothers teach children to look out for themselves and ONLY themselves. The outrageous activities of the ultra orthodicks are tolerated. Only the connected get real jobs. Who needs qualifications when you've got cousins?
16. And the third problem ....
Terry ,   Eilat - Israel   (06.20.10)
This is not about facts, it's not about historical accuracy, it's not about fairness or justice. We are not facing an audience that cares about truth. We are being lynched, we are facing a lynch mob, the hatred against us is irrational & does not depend on our actions. It doesn't matter much what we do. PR cannot change that. There was video available, there's plenty of evidence that the terrorist group IHH intended violence, that this was orchestrated by the Turkish gov't. ......etc. etc. No one really cared. The videos were not aired on mainstream TV (except on Fox in America). Journalists ignored all the evidence. Politicians who actually know the truth (don't you think the security services in Europe & America know what happened?) still condemned us. The UN is a lost cause, we'd be condemned for breathing at the UN. Our best bet is to ignore world opinion & play hardball. Be completely intransigent, no apologies, no compromises, no concessions, & do what we have to do.
17. freedom of speech
David ,   USA   (06.20.10)
Or you could reduce freedom of speech to only Israeli citizens. Ban all foreign journalist. Al Jazeera and other networks can stay as long as they are manned by Israelis.
18. PR can't help when your truths are lies
goldman ,   usa   (06.20.10)
A land without people for a people without land. Palestinians don't exist. We keep the land for security reasons. We want peace but everyone is anti-Semitic, and hates us. Other states should take in the Palestinians. Boo-hoo, the world is tired of intransigence and lies.
19. As usual, Terry, you're dead on.
AK   (06.20.10)
20. PR can't hide war crimes...
Michael Hess ,   Charlotte, NC   (06.20.10)
This is self-evident everywhere except for Israel. No amount of PR gimmicks, propaganda, lies, distortions or whatever else you folks come up with can hide war crimes and the ongoing crime against humanity Israel is carrying out against Gaza civilians.
21. It IS NOT the message
Ussishkin ,   Tel Aviv Israel   (06.20.10)
We are lacking in leadership that looks further than the end if its nose, more than just one day at a time. That means strategic thinking, NOT a new PR offensive. First you plan ahead, taking into account what is best for the nation now and for the next generation and if at all possible the one after that. Then you have your Foreign Policy that is aligned to these plans and if you just use military force you make sure that for every scenario there is on the shelf a diplomatic scenario that accompanies it. Good PR would not have gotten us out of the hole we dug for ourselves against Hezbollah in 2006, in Cast Lead in 2008-9 and in the trap we fell into 3 weeks ago with the flotilla fiasco. It's the principles that we keep ignoring with leaders who haven't a clue how to lead. It's time for a new generation of pragmatists to run the country and be genuine about our strategy for the future. At present we look like a shambles, lead by men who refuse accountability to us the nation, and trample on the democratic processes we have taken 60 years to build.
22. to12
(06.20.10)
israil run the show when god wins ........................
23. to 3
(06.20.10)
if you realy like the winners ... you must read evry thing . but sure you like the right not the left and discrimination is not the way for winners the battle or the pr.
24. to6
(06.20.10)
if they need to forever blockad they do not need pr. but world doing in the suit of punishment or what is the other option
25. t 8
(06.20.10)
in israil it is RB..NOT PR
26. 2,000 Years
Al ,   Wilkes-Barre   (06.20.10)
PR won't make a difference. Jews have been hated by all the nations of the world for thousands of years. You think a PR campaign will change that? Forget about it. Accept the fact that we will always be hated and move on. Continue to do what we know is right. Forget world opinion.
27. Terry
Libneniyyeh ,   Canada   (06.20.10)
For all your intelligence and articulateness, you are really brainwashed and naive. For one, in your attack on Islam, you are incapable of conducting a thorough, objective study. Like many of your ilk, you refuse to look into the true history of the religion, preferring instead to read on blackfacing accounts. You confuse cultural mentalities with Islamic teachings, and you don't even read Arabic. Secondly and finally, please ask yourself why Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world. If you answer because Mulsims breed faster, you will just be proving my point. Ask yourself why it is that so many non-Muslims are converting. Surely they can't all be brainwashed. You need to educate yourself before saying "we know we know we know". You and Sarah B. are two peas in a pod, professing to know all the facts and the realities, using the plural, authoritative voice, speaking in eloquent tongues. But people like you, unfortunately, even if the truth hit u on the head you would deny it.
28. I don't know what is more revolting
Libneniyyeh ,   Canada   (06.20.10)
Blatant Israeli lies or Israeli holier than thou attitude. Oh, how saintly and victimized you are! And how moral, dignified, and gracious you are! Noble army NOT!
29. :: Michael - #20
Matty Groves ,   Fairport   (06.20.10)
Good to see you posting, a few of the Ynuts were asking about you, I think some of them missed you dreadfully!
30. Utter nonsense. Victory is the best PR by far.
Chaim ,   Israel   (06.20.10)
General George Patton said it best, "There is no substitute for victory". Israel has to stop worrying about "what the world thinks" and win wars like we used to. The world loves the victorious and hates the vanquished. That's human nature. We need to resoundingly defeat the "Palestinian" poseurs once and for all, with no concessions whatsoever. Take complete control of our land forever. Victory is the best PR by far.
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