Getting Beyond the Conflict. Its them. Not us.

Mitchell Bard’s recent article (War-gaming ‘hasbara’ December 8 JNS) puts forth a very interesting concept: Treat government Hasbara (public diplomacy) as one more weapon in the military arsenal. Therefore, make the messaging part of the military’s planning and execution to be prepared before (similar to air force bombardment softening the ground for a ground invasion) and during the events. However, Israel seems to always be in the middle of some event.

His idea is very interesting, needed, and should be explored. It adds to Melanie Phillips’ insightful article “Why Israel needs a strategy to shape the narrative” (JNS November 26, 2021) where she correctly proclaims “it is absolutely astounding that Israel still has no centralized communications strategy. Instead, different agencies feud with each other to put out largely uncoordinated responses to the propaganda onslaught that has hijacked language and all but rewritten the Jews out of their own historic story.”

Unfortunately, he spends the first part of his article lamenting how terrible Israel is at PR and re-hashing the often-heard complaints, missed opportunities, etc. “One of the few areas of agreement among American Jews is that Israel has terrible PR. The reputation was well-earned. For years, it typically involved officials with poor English attempting to give journalists a history of the conflict instead of the 30-second soundbite that was needed.”

While I could not agree more, Mr. Bard’s solution is not enough as he is relying solely on the government. That’s not enough to move the needle. I modestly draw your attention my article in the Jerusalem Post “Here's how Israel can have better hasbara” (September 29, 2021) where I lay out clear steps involving messaging, resources, and execution. All these are needed to combat the Big Lie, that only seems to be looming larger in today’s mainstream media and new-found wokeness.

Importantly, it is another part of Mr. Bard’s article that I must take issue with. He states, “you can’t get beyond the conflict so long as it continues.” While this is obviously true, he seems to intimate that the conflict in question is Israel’s fault, as he goes on to say “Israelis must always appear to be the party most interested in peace. It is a fact, not hasbara that they are. That image was lost, however, during the Netanyahu years.”

The “conflict in question” seems to be the Israeli-Palestinian issue as Mr. Bard states: “Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president emeritus of the Union for Reform Judaism, with whom I frequently disagree, makes a valid point when he argues that American Jews, especially the younger generation, ‘desperately need an Israeli leader who will say to American Jews and to all Americans: The territories are not Israel. We Israelis have no desire to rule over the Palestinian people. We are committed to sitting down with Palestinian leadership and working out a peace agreement, based on the principle of two states for two peoples. Until we have an agreement, no matter how long it may take, we will not expand our area of settlement, and we will do everything possible to separate from the Palestinians.’”

Israel has always been the party most interested in peace. Factually. Historically. Consistently: Even in accepting the poorly divided partition of UN Resolution 181. Even since the Declaration of Independence. All those cease fires (read: allow our enemies to re-arm). Returning of land for peace. Release of prisoners for peace talks. And much more, as you well know.

And blaming it on former Prime Minister Netanyahu is a cheap shot. You need a partner in peace Just earlier this month (Dec 2021) during a joint press conference with Tunisian president, Kais Saied, [Palestinian Authority] president Abbas affirmed that if the occupation authorities continue their tyranny and aggressive practices against the Palestinian people and land with its capital, Jerusalem, "we will have our options and measures soon." In other words the official PA negotiating position is all of Israel (“From the river to the sea.”).

Does this sound like a partner in peace?

Peace can only be reached when that parties approach the table as either equals willing to compromise or where one party has lost the conflict and is looking for the best negotiated outcome.

The Arabs who attacked Israel in 1948 with the intention of wiping it off the map have not admitted defeat. And the PA (and their allies) have inherited and adopted this attitude. Nor do they consider us equals to let alone approach the table.

People like Mr. Bard and Rabbi Yoffie, need to take lessons learned from Ruth Wisse’s brilliant book Jews and Power. Ms Wisse states “The Jewish polity in exile continued to model itself on self-rule in the Land of Israel, with this difference – that it handed over powers of protection to local rulers.” That experiment was met separation, fewer rights, pogroms, and expulsions.

We have earned our own legitimate power – the State of Israel. We can negotiate from a position of strength. The Arab Palestinians need to accept our rightful sovereignty and legitimacy as the Jewish state. They seem not to want to get “beyond the conflict.” As with the exciting Abraham Accords, the “No. No. No.” needs to become “Yes. Yes. Yes.”

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