Israel's Image Problem
In Gaza, Israel wins battles at the risk of destroying its reputation.
Historian and former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S., Michael Oren is publishing a series of essays that cut through the fog of war in Gaza and describing Israel’s dilemma in fighting a war against a non-state radical group of Islamists while being scrutinized by the world media. His latest posting explains why Israel though militarily stronger is losing the media war.
“Israel’s enemies—Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)—do not have a military strategy. They have, rather, a military tactic designed to serve media, diplomatic, and legal strategies. They succeeded stunningly in the past. Now, they are triumphant…
The images of the suffering and destruction purportedly wrought by Israel are sufficiently horrific. But then those pictures are contrasted with those of an Israeli public which, with relatively few exceptions, is weathering the war unharmed. The fact that Israel cannot play by the same rules as Hamas and Hezbollah, it cannot cherry-pick journalists’ dispatches, fabricate the news, or post photos of military and civilian casualties, only accentuates the contrast. The terrorists’ media strategy has met its goals; now on to the diplomatic strategy.
Broadcast instantaneously and incessantly over every medium, the horrific images ignite a firestorm of public rage. If, in the past, Israel used to worry about the impact of its operations on the “Arab street,” that street is no longer restricted to Egypt, Jordan, and the Gulf; it also teems in Europe and the United States. Violent protests break out in London, Paris, and other Western European capitals, on elite American campuses and high-profile public events. Confronted with these demonstrations, decision-makers find themselves under intensifying pressure to act. And they do by turning to the international organizations where Israel, even in the most pacific times, cannot easily defend itself.”
So, what is Israel to do? The concept of martyrdom runs deep in Middle Eastern cultures but it does have its limits as seen at the end of WWII when even the fanatical Japanese military capitulated and surrendered. Radical Islamist leaders may tolerate the sacrifice of a significant proportion of their population and commerce but there is a limit to the tolerance of the “Arab street” for being duped and abused for a lost cause.
Farms have been destroyed, factories turned to rubble, and schools and hospitals demolished. Most critically, their children’s futures have been devastated. Someone once pointed out: “The killing will stop when the Palestinians realize they love their children more than they hate Israelis.” Israel needs to force them to consciously choose between their children’s future and a doomed fanatical cause.
The image of the ruthless, tough guy served Israel well during the decades of its inception standing up to seemingly overwhelming Arab attacks. That same image is a liability not only in the liberal West but in moderate modernizing Arab nations.
“Money talks and bullshit walks…” Arabs want nice things and a nice future for their children. They know that radicalization and isolation is a dead-end street. Even conservative stalwart Saudi Arabia signals it is willing to normalize relations with the West and Israel.
Taking Back The Dialog…
Israel needs to take the initiative on three fronts. First, show they care about the future and well-being of Arab children in contrast to extremists’ plans for ritual sacrifice and life-long poverty. Set a priority to aid Arab women and children immediately establishing camps, field hospitals, and schools. Shame the Arabs by demonstrating they care more about their children’s futures than the Islamists do. Get that message out globally.
Secondly, they need to stoke the fires of distrust between Arab Sunnis and Shiite Iranians. Iranian funding of radical Sunni terrorist groups is aimed not only at Israel but moderate secular Arab states. Iran stirring the pot in Israel, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq is designed to weaken Sunni dominance in the region and the world. Its arming of radical Sunni groups is destabilizing for everyone. Iranian motives need to be stripped of their religious cloak and the naked true motives displayed for all. Weaponized Sunni Islamists are Iran’s “Trojan horse” and the danger needs to be broadcast widely. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend” needs to be switched from Israel to Iran.
These two strategies are relatively easy to initiate, but likely impossible with Netanyahu and his right-wing coalition in charge. The third initiative is to dissolve the current Israeli government and form a new coalition dedicated to demonstrating a kinder, gentle Israel committed to working with moderate Arab neighbors. The fate of a theoretical state of Palestine is not the problem, Iran is.
What are the odds that anything other than the continued martyrdom of Palestinians will happen? As you said with the right wing in power it is unlikely. How do you feel about cutting off arms sales to Israel? How would that impact all the moving parts?
It’s a bit of a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation.
There are no good options, just less bad ones.