MIDEAST: Israel Lands in Public Relations Nightmare http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=50657

The continued Judaisation of East Jerusalem, the expulsion of Palestinians, the demolition of their homes and expropriation of their land are apparently insignificant. Israeli group Peace Now says that many settlements in the West Bank continue to defy the alleged settlement freeze. Simultaneously, construction of public buildings, such as schools and those housing units with their foundations already established, proceed unabated in the settlements. 

But analysts are questioning why Israel would deliberately shoot itself in the foot with the latest in-your-face announcements, especially taking into consideration the country’s slick and well-oiled publicity machine. Israeli journalist and commentator from the daily ‘Haaretz’, Bradley Burston, explained that the hard-right in Israel sees this confrontational and provocative behaviour with the Palestinians and the international community as an effort to "expunge any trace of grovelling to the colonial master." 

"People are laughing at you. Who is advising you on your brand? This is not good, this is pretty bad," Jonathan Gabay, a London-based marketing and branding expert, told ‘Haaretz’. Gabay was commenting on Israel’s ramped up Hasbara, or public diplomacy, efforts to counter the growing international criticism. The Israeli information and diaspora ministry recently launched a new website called Masbirim which encourages Israelis travelling abroad to defend Israel. However, one of its advertisements ridicules the significant foreign press corps based in the country by portraying them as naïve and incompetent in their coverage of the conflict - A move hardly bound to win over an increasingly sceptical foreign media.