Israel's greatest PR failure
Writing in Haaretz Reuven Pedatzur reminds us of the al-Dura fraud (Hat Tip: Snap Shots). The story of Mohammed al-Dura was a tremendous propaganda victory for the Palestinians. But it was also Israel's biggest public relations failure, and it is unclear why. There is plenty of evidence showing that the story about the boy's death was a show skillfully orchestrated by the Palestinians.Read the whole thing. One reason why 'official Israel is silent' may be to protect then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak whose political career just might be over if enough people here understood just how badly he messed up the al-Dura affair.
What is troubling in this affair is that official Israel ignored the testimonies and investigations that began piling up immediately after the incident. The documentary by the German journalist Esther Shapira, and the investigation by French businessman Philippe Karsenty, raise suspicions that Palestinian cameraman Talal Abu Rahma who shot the footage that was delivered to France 2 meddled with the story. And many others were party to this effort.
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Nonetheless, official Israel is silent. A golden opportunity to challenge the credibility of the Palestinian version on one of the most formative events in the history of the conflict is being missed, and it is hard to understand why. The IDF, more than once, has sinned in the excessive use of military force, which leads to the death of innocents. But when it turns out that in the Dura affair IDF soldiers did not hit a child and his father, those responsible for public relations at the IDF are silent, as is the Foreign Ministry. Thus Israel relinquishes the media front to the Palestinians, who are taking advantage of it with sophistication while using television stations that sympathize with their cause such as France 2.
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:05 AM
3 Comments:
I have been puzzled about the continued existence of Ehud Barak in Israeli politics. This abject failure has always been given some kind of role in every government. Even his role in chasing Arafat from Beirut is nonsense. He should have killed him. (I suspect a prior arrangement to let the terrorist escape.)
All kinds of excuses have been made to keep the inept Barak, but none of them justify his deleterious presence as a major player in Israeli politics.
In defense of the IDF, as soon as the shooting occurred, the IDF published an annotated aerial photo of the shootout. It was clear that 1) the IDF were being fired on from positions in front and in back of the al-Dura's; they would have had no idea that civilians were there. and 2) it was pretty clear that the IDF had no clear shot at the al Duras.
http://www.palestinefacts.org/pf_1991to_now_alaqsa_dura.php
This view was available to anyone who gave two hoots. Funny, but not a single reporter acknowledged its existence.
The Israeli government would prefer to leave the IDF out to hang to dry to save Barak's reputation. He should be protecting it not the other way around.
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