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Lost Is the Message
by Jonathan Tobin
- The real problem is the notion that anyone will be more willing to help Israel if they think its people are sexy.
- And it's no different for those who think Americans will support the Jewish state if they know how smart Israelis are.
- They do nothing to change the views of those who think that Israel is a wicked oppressor of poor Palestinians.
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And it is that canard - not the fact that "young American males" might not know just how hot Israeli girls might be or whether Israeli geniuses are finding a cure for cancer - that is the reason why some American campuses and churches are hotbeds of hostility to Israel.
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If Israel's envoys want to catch the imagination of American youth, they need to forget about the cheesecake.
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The bad press their country gets is based on unchallenged pro-Arab propaganda and a lack of advocacy for the rights of Jews, not foreign skin rags getting access to its prettiest women. (Jerusalem Post)
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Our 'Human-Lens' Approach to Hasbara
by Amy Friedkin and Larry Weinberg
- Let us clearly state that we agree with those, including Jonathan Tobin who say that the conflict is Israel's most important and challenging issue.
- These are valid concerns and activities, but what percentage of the American audience, as Tobin says "think Israel is a wicked oppressor of poor Palestinians"?
- Certainly some people on some campuses do and there are many groups engaged that battle. But as a growing body of quantitative and qualitative research proves, they are blessedly a precious few indeed.
- Every poll shows strong American support for Israel and that is certainly the most conclusive proof that most Americans don't think Israel is wicked.
- Indeed, the larger problem - and opportunity - is found in the vast majority of Americans who know almost nothing about Israel except that they think there is a, long-running conflict there where fault is probably divided in some way between each side.
- Should we allow the conflict to become all that defines Israel for Americans and others around the world? (Jerusalem Post)
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