Israel is in a never-ending war that cannot be won with military might. It is not a battle of conventional weapons, but rather, a public relations war. For all our supposed intelligence and wisdom, Israel has lost the PR war for at least the last 40 years. This is maddening since all the things that should matter -- logic, facts, reason, history, context, and morality -- are on Israel's side. But we still lose. And even more frustrating, we lose to a group -- the Palestinians and their proxies -- that employs first grade tactics. They understand that in today's world, you win with messaging that contains simple tag lines such as "end the occupation now." And what do we do- First, we respond, meaning we are in defensive mode from the get-go. In PR terms, that means we have already lost. Second, we oscillate in our response, often foolishly choosing between two extremes. Often, we do nothing, thereby allowing the bad guys to further seize the platform and storyline. Or, when we choose to do something, we often go to the extreme with long-winded explanations and highbrow campaigns. But neither work well. We have 70 years of proof now. Rather than just complain and identify the problem, I write with a solution. Perhaps naively, I think I can solve Israel's PR problem. And it costs nothing. Before I share the proposal, first understand what it is not. Forget long op-eds. Forget sophisticated marketing campaigns. However well intended, these achieve little. We know this. We have decades of real world results. Heck, I am as guilty as anyone, as I often write op-eds in favor of Israel, as if anyone actually cares about the "merits." Ready for the PR solution? Drum roll please. ... Israel simply needs a prop to win the PR war. Yes, a dumb prop. Specifically, the prop is ... a book. But not just any book. The book is one of the textbooks Palestinian children use in their classrooms each day. You know, the books with maps that omit Israel and outrageous, aggressive statements such as: "This religion [Islam] will defeat all other religions and it will be disseminated, by Allah's will, through the Muslim jihad fighters" (from "Islamic Education for Seventh Grade no. 564," p. 125). Here is how the PR campaign will work in practice. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must carry the textbook wherever he goes. And I mean wherever. Always. It will be a new appendage of his. Just as a soldier is punished if he leaves his rifle, so too, the prime minister if he fails to carry the textbook. And whenever he is asked any question by a foreign reporter or leader such as, "But Mr. Prime Minister, what about refugees ... or borders ... or water rights...-" this is how he will respond: "You ask an important question. A question that deserves an answer on the merits. And I will give you an answer on the merits, but before I do, you need to understand that your question is unfortunately moot, hypothetical, and irrelevant. Why? Because five miles from where we are now standing, this is what the Palestinians -- our supposed peace partners -- are teaching their seventh-graders in school." At this point, Netanyahu needs to wave the textbook. He will have two pages tabbed; he'll turn to the first, showing a map that omits Israel, and then to the second, showing the triumphalist quote about Islam. Then he will say: "So as long as this is what the Palestinians are teaching their children, your question is moot, hypothetical, and irrelevant. You can't posture for peace while teaching your children hate. What you teach your children belies your sound bites. Everything else is noise. Any peace process starts with sincerity -- meaning a sincere desire for lasting peace -- and these textbooks are all you need to know about the Palestinians' sincerity for real peace. "Now back to your question I promised I would answer." To be clear, Netanyahu needs to carry the book with him 100% of the time. In fact, it would be good if all senior government leaders did so. Why will this work- First, it is simple. Simple is good. The masses get simple. Basically, we beat the Palestinians at their own simple PR game. Second, it is proactive. It does not wait for a crisis. Third, it gets to the heart of the real issue -- sincerity -- as opposed to getting distracted by the issue of the day. Fourth, the real audience here is the 80% of the world that is neither Jewish nor Muslim. This group is the real swing vote. The "average Joe" -- whether he lives in Michigan or Moscow -- will not only understand the textbook, but it will resonate. He may not understand or care about history, U.N. Resolution 242, or Oslo -- and frankly, he shouldn't care much about those things -- but he will understand the textbook. He will quietly think: That's crazy. How can Israel negotiate if that is what their "peace partners" are teaching their children-! The textbook is a simple way to get the world to focus on the sad fact that peace starts and ends with sincerity and what we teach our children. Everything else is an elaborate distraction. This campaign should be permanent. It should get to the point where the press and world leaders even mock the prime minister a bit: "Oh, there's Netanyahu with that silly textbook he carries." My response to this criticism: Exactly -- there's Netanyahu with his textbook. To work, he must take it everywhere, especially when he meets with world leaders. This cannot be a part-time gimmick. Repetition is key. Stay on message. You watch: The proverbial "street" -- everywhere around the world -- will understand the textbook. Try it. After all, the other stuff -- commentaries, marketing, diplomacy -- hasn't worked too well for 70 years now, while the textbook is quick, easy, and free. And most important, it will be effective. William Chosen is a Harvard-educated lawyer and an unapologetic Zionist who lives and works in Chicago.
Solving Israel's PR problem
מערכת ישראל היום
מערכת "ישראל היום“ מפיקה ומעדכנת תכנים חדשותיים, מבזקים ופרשנויות לאורך כל שעות היממה. התוכן נערך בקפדנות, נבדק עובדתית ומוגש לציבור מתוך האמונה שהקוראים ראויים לעיתונות טובה יותר - אמינה, אובייקטיבית ועניינית.
