Clubbing and terrorism: Ambassador describes media distortion in Israel
Aaron Kraft
Editor-in-Chief
|
On April 14, Orbis sat down with Ambassador Gideon Meir, the Deputy Director General for Media & Public Affairs from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ask questions about his nationwide Caravan for Democracy tour and his work in Israeli public relations.
Orbis: Do you feel that the Caravan for Democracy Program is an effective method of informing Americans about Israel's work and what other PR methods does Israel currently use to inform the international community about Israel's accomplishments?
Ambassador Gideon Meir: "Ok, I want to talk about America and Israel, not the international community because Europe is different from America and it is not a secret that the relationship between Israel and America is a most important one, it is an open secret, and therefore we invest a lot in the relationship of the United States and Israel.
We do it also because we share the same values of democracy, of freedom, liberty, and I think probably one of the issues which I would like to do, which the Caravan of Democracy is doing is to inform colleges, college students, and the faculty members about the fact that we share the same values, that Israel is a democracy, that Israel is as democratic as America is, and you know, to keep a democracy under the circumstances that Israel is having, since its inception, fighting terrorism, Arab terrorism, keeping a survival.
I don't know how many Americans know that Israel is the only country in the world that its very existence is being threatened. There is not a country in the world that is being threatened. I want us still to go forward but this is a situation, that delivers a constant threat of being destructed, Iran, Arab countries, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Al-Aqsa Brigades, and still we are running a perfect democracy in these kind of circumstances, we've learned to keep society as free as American society, Israeli leaders are the same way as American leaders, we have a problem because we have to be aware of terrorism, but still a lot of the same life, you go to the discotheques in Israel, you go to the beach in Israel.
You see a livelihood of Israeli teenagers, students, and this message I want to carry with me and to bring to the students, and this is what the Caravan of Democracy is doing also in a very effective way. I would like to add to something, which I said before about the fact that Israel's very existence is being threatened.
Israeli leaders who are tour around the world are being told many times, especially by Europeans, that we support the right for Israel to exist. Now, can you imagine that the French President would say to Tony Blair that we support the right for Britain to exist.
Can there be such a thing? Can anyone tell President Bush that we support the right of America to exist. What does that mean, we support the right of Israel to exist? It means, that there is a doubt in some of the minds of people that Israel doesn't have the right to exist. Americans have to know that our existence is being threatened."
O:How has the advent of the internet affected Israel's PR battle, with the arrival of terrorist web sites and other ways that those who are against Israel can communicate with one another and further their cause?
A: "I want to differentiate here, to be fair, between the European media and the American media. There is a huge difference. I think that the European media is much more hostile to Israel than the American media. There is a very problematic junction today between two curves, supply and demand, and the junction is at optimum price. The junction is very problematic. You have the curve of the terrorist organizations around the world who don't want just to kill people, to kill 3,000 Americans in 9-11 is not enough, they want to terrorize the daily life in America.
They want to make Americans afraid, they want to have Moroccans in Casa Blanca afraid, they want the Saudis to be afraid in order to terrorize our lives. Without the media there is no terrorism. On the other hand, the second curve is the curve of the media. The media wants to sell, the media needs ratings. And who is providing ratings? Drama. Drama in Iraq.
I will provide you a perfect example. I have the feeling that the beheadings in Iraq stopped. You don't see beheadings anymore. You know why? Because CNN and BBC decided to the best of my knowledge not to show the pictures anymore. Now, if you don't show the pictures, if the media is not covering the story, what do you do with the beheadings? You don't terrorize our lives, you don't put pressure. That is why this junction between the media and the terrorist organizations is very problematic.
Now, if you ask me whether Israel made mistakes during those years of the media, I would say definitely yes, like, we don't just have international public opinion, we also have Israeli public opinion, and sometimes we have the problematic effect when Israel is responding because we also defend the Israeli people and we have to prove to the Israeli people that they are being defended. It is important and it is not something, and it is also to prove to the Israeli people that Israel is doing its utmost and its best to defend.
But from the media point of view, it plays into the hands of the terrorists. Because, it prolongs the media coverage and this is exactly what they want to do. And here, I have a lot of blame to blame the media. Because, they are covering more the Israeli response rather than a terror attacks.
The first question that I hear, my best sensor by the way is my ear, because when I am being interviewed by different studios and I am being interview from London and from Atlanta and from Washington, no matter what, always I hear even after a major terrorist attack, so how is Israel going to retaliate?
This is what they are interested in. And, this is a distorted point of view. It is actually supporting the terrorist organizations. Not that they are wanting to help terrorism, but it gives the terrorist organization the incentive to continue their attacks."
O:How does Israel play a role in highlighting the apparent growing anti-Semitism in the world?
A: "Look, it's a complicated question. I think that Israel should be the leader of fighting anti-Semitism. I think anti-Semitism is evil. Anti-Semitism is wrong. On the other hand, I have to say something. I think it would be a big mistake for any Jew or Israeli to blame everything on anti-Semitism. You would never hear me blaming a reporter or a news organization for being anti-Semitic.
What if I take a British journalist who is doing very bad to Israel and I will say you know what, you are an anti-Semite. I have finished my argument. I would not be able to argue with him on the matter. Europe is not anti-Semitic. France is not anti-Semitic. But, there is a lot of anti-Semitism in France and the government of France is trying to fight anti-Semitism.
So we have to be careful first of all not to overuse the word anti-Semitism, because then we are diluting the whole issue of anti-Semitism. Xenophobia has to be fought, the hatred to a different race has to be fought, this is racism and it is bad. It has to be fought. And Israel has to do it. Israel has to bring it to international organizations. And Israel has to make sure the United Nations is doing it.
The United Nations has a major role and I have to praise Kofi Annan for taking a role on fighting anti-Semitism. Jews around the world are members of the communities where they live. Their loyalty is to the state and the state has to protect their rights. I think this is the role of the French government and the government of French is doing their best. They are not happy to see this anti-Semitism."