Foreign Ministry
Photo: Amit Shabi
Diplomats urge Foreign Ministry to reconsider closure of cultural division
Ministry's director-general plans to dissolve Division for Cultural and Scientific Affairs and re-delegate its responsibilities to the Media and Public Affairs Division; 'Putting cultural work under the public affairs division is a two-edged sword and could be to our detriment,' diplomats say; 'Change is only organizational,' ministry says.
One hundred ambassadors and cultural attachés have come out against plans by the Ministry of Foreign Affair's to dissolve the Division for Cultural and Scientific Affairs.
The 70 current and 30 former diplomats signed a letter calling on Director-General Yuval Rotem to leave the division intact rather than dissolve it and re-delegate its responsibilities to the Media and Public Affairs Division.
"The challenges the State of Israel faces have never been an obstacle for the blessed work done by the Division for Cultural and Scientific Affairs," the diplomats wrote. "Even in moments of crisis (wars, military operations, terrorism, anti-Israeli votes, protests, etc.), the division's work to export Israeli culture did not cease and continued diligently."
The Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem (Photo: Guy Asayag)
"As experienced diplomats well familiar with the difference between public affairs work and cultural work, we caution that putting the cultural work under the Media and Public Affairs Division is a two-edged sword and could be to our detriment, something we seek to prevent in advance," the diplomats went on to say.
They called on the ministry director-general to issue a tender for the position of deputy director of cultural and scientific affairs and aid the new division head by increasing its budget.
"Other employees of the Foreign Affairs Ministry share our position, and we all hope our request will be readily accepted by the director-general," the diplomats concluded.
Reuven Merhav, a former Mossad official who served as the Foreign Ministry director-general as well as the head of Israel's missions in Hong Kong and Beirut, says re-delegating the Cultural and Scientific Affairs Division's responsibilities to the Media and Public Affairs Division would be a great mistake stemming from lack of understanding.
"The cultural and scientific matters... can be used as a top diplomatic tool and constitute part of Israel's image as an enlightened, cultural and open country," he said. "Particularly as science has been used in the past and is still used as a tool for cooperation with countries we did not cooperate with before that seek to be close to us."
China, Merhav said, was an example of that. "The Chinese's impression of our scientific abilities was a decisive factor in their decision to cooperate with us. It has nothing to do with public relations, and everything to do with Israel's reputation as a country that stands out in its own right," he explained.
Meanwhile, the Israel Culture and Arts Forum and the Israeli Actors Guild released a joint statement against the planned move, saying "The work of the Division for Cultural and Scientific Affairs is important and second to none. Despite the small budget the division has at its disposal (that has suffered great cuts in recent years), their help to artists going abroad is priceless."
"The division's employees are highly professional and invest their heart and soul in Israel's representation without any political agenda," the statement continued.
"We fear that re-delegating the export of culture and art to the Media and Public Relations Division means an end to professional priorities and to broader considerations when it comes to the presence of Israeli art across the globe. Instead, art will be used as a tool to promote policy and diplomacy directly, rather than win hearts and minds with openness, artistic dialogue, and inspiration."
The Foreign Ministry's management said in response, "The Division for Cultural and Scientific Affairs has, for several years now, been part of the public diplomacy apparatus, at the heart of which is the Media and Public Relations Division. The reform led by the director-general will not in any way change the activity done in support of culture. The change is organizational only."
"It's hard to shake the feeling this is an attempt to push for a futile argument under the guise of ideology," the Foreign Ministry went on to say. "No one is harming the promotion of Israeli culture. On the contrary, including the issue of culture in a division which is, at its heart, all about public diplomacy, will only serve to help with budgets, manpower and the right management to bring Israeli culture to many audiences across the world."
