Israel's bureaucracy foils its public relations
I heard an interview this morning with foreign ministry spokesman Zvi Marzel. Marzel was asked why we've looked so bad in the foreign media, why the world thinks we cut off Gaza's electricity and why the world is ignoring Sderot. Marzel claimed that they've been doing much better at getting Sderot in the news and said there is to be a release of more than 6000 red balloons near the UN today to symbolize the number of Kassam rockets that have been shot at Sderot over the past year. But what he said about the electricity was much more interesting.He said that the 'Palestinians' are winning the battle because they're faster with the media and a picture is worth 1000 words. The 'Palestinians' show the media pictures of 'Palestinians' living by candlelight. The foreign ministry wanted to counter that the day this all started by showing on television that the control panel for Gaza in Ashkelon's power plant was still on and still running. But there was one problem: Someone (he didn't say whether the electric company didn't let them in or the government television stations refused to send a camera crew) couldn't get a camera crew into the power plant. And so the opportunity was lost and the 'Palestinian' side of the story was the only side the world's media saw.
Amazing how this country keeps finding new ways to shoot itself in the foot, isn't it? Anyone else think the television bigwigs might have refused to send someone on purpose?
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:36 AM
1 Comments:
Its like Ehud Olmert doesn't want Israelis to know the extent of the problem in the South and Israel's Hebrew media (leftist dominated) has a vested interest in keeping in power by sanitizing Olmert' failures as a leader.
By the way, Olmert "Pinocchio" performance in Herzlyia set new lows for the amount of lies spoken by a Prime Minister. Olmert admitted Israel lost the Second Lebanon War, none of its objectives were attained, Hezbollah is back on the border and stronger than ever... yet according to Olmert - Israel's situation is "incomparably better!"
One would think a loser like Olmert would have some sense of shame left and resign. But he isn't going to be held accountable and with failure the new watchword for Israeli blunders, its wonder the government (with the press as its all too willing accomplices) ensured Israel's side of the story on the situation in the south did not get out anywhere.
Israelis are even more in the dark than the Palestinians as to what is actually happening in their own country and in the world around them.
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