Over the years, the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Authority has been characterized by both real and artificial disputes over basic facts. Israel views stone throwers and knife-wielding assailants as violent lawbreakers, while the Palestinian Authority presents them to the world as noble freedom fighters. And the world, with its natural inclination to anti-Semitism, prefers the Palestinian version. During the ongoing wave of terrorism, Palestinian lies have reached new lows. The lies now contain not even one iota of truth. It is one thing for a Palestinian parent to express pride in a child who died trying to commit a terrorist attack. It is quite another thing, however, for the Palestinian Authority to dare to call an Israeli man who thwarted this attack by running the terrorist over a war criminal. Palestinian propaganda has reached the level of Joseph Goebbels. The Palestinians do not justify terrorist attacks -- instead, they claim the attacks are staged by Israel and the attackers are murdered by Israel in a premeditated manner. Also, the Palestinians hope anti-Semites around the globe will buy their lies about Al-Aqsa mosque and Israel's supposed nefarious plans there. In the face of these Palestinian lies, Israel must adjust its public diplomacy tactics if it hopes to maintain support in Europe and the U.S. In any case, the Israeli government is finding it difficult to defend its policies abroad and this is only made worse by the Palestinian lies. However, as long as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not put forth a serious proposal for a two-state solution to the conflict with the Palestinians, the world will continue to believe Palestinian lies more than messages coming from the Israeli government. Also, it appears Defense Ministry prognosticators were wrong. While the ongoing wave of Palestinian terrorism is not a third intifada, it is more than just a rash of attacks by individual lone wolves. Last night, someone suggested to me that military-trained dogs be deployed at key road junctions in Judea and Samaria to deter terrorist attacks. Perhaps this would work.
