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Research has shown that a very limited, in many ways distorted, image of Israel and its people has been allowed to shape the standard perceptions in the United States and other Western countries.   This is in part because of the relentless circulation of a false view by Israel’s antagonists. It is also in part because of media outlets that find pictures of armed Israelis in uniform and of a concrete wall between Jerusalem and Bethlehem - and, let it be said, of black-clad bearded men in prayer next to the Western Wall - to represent the “typical” Israel. And it is in part because the friends of Israel and those making Israel’s case have not been fully conscious of the problem or of ways to address it.

Consider, for example, the passage in Carlyle’s epoch-defining essay “Characteristics” (1831,) which proclaims: “The healthy Understanding, we should say, is not the Logical, argumentative, but the Intuitive; for the end of Understanding is not to prove and find reasons but to know and believe.”

In his preceding sentence, Carlyle says: “As in the higher case of the Poet, so…in that of the Speaker and Inquirer, the true force is an unconscious one.” Applying these concepts, it can be suggested that, while charges regarding Israeli “apartheid” can be rebutted by logical arguments disproving the accuracy of such terminology, the impression of Israel that branding is meant to reverse is of a harsh, brutal land whose residents are unwelcoming and utterly without feeling.

The British "country brand capital development" firm Acanchi is crafting a "new image" for Israel. "Our research shows that Israel's brand is essentially the [Israel-Palestine] conflict," explained Israeli Foreign Ministry official Ido Aharoni. "Even those who recognize that Israel is in the right are not attracted to it, because they see it as a supplier of bad news." Israel previously worked with the ad firm Saatchi & Saatchi and U.S. political consultants James Carville and Stanley Greenberg to address its image problem.

The rebranding effort began after September 2001, when government officials realized "Israel had an opportunity to escape its image as the main source of conflict with the Islamic word," because the "war on Islamic terror" had "gone global," reports Haaretz.

The Israeli government hired Acanchi in August 2008. Acanchi founder Fiona Gilmore recently toured Israel, as her firm prepares to "launch the new brand." The firm will highlight "Israel's scientific and cultural achievements." Acanchi "has helped to rebrand locales ranging from Lebanon to Northern Ireland."

After 60 years of Diaspora Jews complaining that Israel's hasbara efforts fall flat, there is finally reason for Jews worldwide to believe that the Foreign Ministry is beginning to get it. September marks the beginning of an ambitious new pilot program, being run by the consul-general in Toronto, Amir Gissin, to "rebrand" Israel.

Starting with print ads that will be featured prominently in bus shelters and billboards across the city, and continuing with radio and editorial content, Torontonians can expect to see Israel being portrayed as an innovative leader in technology that brings real benefits to their own lives.

Notably, one type of message that will be conspicuous by its absence is any type of explanation or defense of Israel's actions in regard to its politics. "Explaining why we are right is not enough," says Gissin. "Our goal is to make Israel relevant and attractive to Canadians and to refocus attention away from the conflict."

Unlike the Muslim world, which has hundreds of millions of supporters who have adopted the Palestinian narrative in order to slam Israel, the Jewish world numbers only 13 million. Therefore, it is vital that every person who aligns himself with Israel be a part of the effort to change public perception of Israel.

In meetings we have held with colleagues from other Western countries, a similar picture has emerged, whereby the “official government message” is perceived as propaganda, and thus unreliable. It seemed people would trust news from an average person before they would an official government source. As absurd as this logic sounds, it is a reality we need to accept. However, it is important to remember that the messages coming from official spokespeople are still vital and this is not a call for Israeli spokespeople to fold away their suits and ties. At the same time, it’s important to diversify the arsenal of tools we’re using in bringing Israel’s narrative to the world. And here, we need each and every one of our supporters worldwide and in particular, Israel.

  Print  | E-Mail  | Share  | Feedback 05/26/2009 Digg Stumble Upon Reddit Facebook Del.icio.us Fark Yahoo Newsvine Google MySpace   Font: CULTURE WARS An Anti-Semite for UNESCO? Egypt's Culture Minister Farouk Hosni is a leading candidate to take over UNESCO in the fall. An alliance of intellectuals and Jewish groups from France, Germany and Israel are up in arms over the possibility due to remarks made by him perceived to be anti-Israeli.

Hosni, an artist by trade, has been Egypt's Culture Minister since 1987. He is known for being a liberal voice in Egyptian politics, opposing the veil for Egyptian women for example. But he has also made anti-Israeli statements in the past. Last year, he said he would "burn Israeli books in Egyptian libraries."

Egypt's Culture Minister Farouk Hosni is a leading candidate to take over UNESCO in the fall. An alliance of intellectuals and Jewish groups from France, Germany and Israel are up in arms over the possibility due to remarks made by him perceived to be anti-Israeli.