The Israeli Foreign Ministry recently asked its embassies around the world to get ready to launch a public relations campaign ‘to repair' the country's image and reputation, which have reached a horrifying low ebb. And this is negatively affecting Israeli "national security"!

The ministry has doubled the public relations budget to run this international campaign. It also asked its embassies to rally the "die hard" supporters of the Zionist state from among the Jewish communities, fundamentalist Christians who call themselves "Zionist Christians", journalists and politicians to join this campaign. An increasing number of people around the world now see Israel as being similar to the most despised and hated regimes of the 20th century — like the Nazis in Germany and South Africa's apartheid rulers. For their part, Israeli officials believe that their country's image is in dire need of some beautifying touches. Yet, regardless of these touches, the ugliness of Israel seems to be beyond repair.

The world used to view Israel in the past as a small and democratic country trying to survive in the middle of "a feudalistic, barbaric" region filled with "corruption". This image now seems to be changing with the world seeing Israel as a colonial occupier, an apartheid regime, an abuser of religion, robber of Palestinian land and a killer and jailer of thousands of Palestinian children (and many others).

Most recently, the Israeli media described Israel as a country being governed by very corrupt politicians who could not handle a forest fire in Haifa, but could arrogantly risk "start[ing] a war which might bring thousands of rockets falling on all major cities of Israel". Furthermore, one of the main issues currently being debated in Israel is the rise of "organised crime" and its increasing control over Israeli politicians. The two main criminal groups, according to Israeli media, are "the Abu Rjeili Family and the Russian Mafia". Drugs, prostitution and money laundering are bringing in billions of dollars in profits. Another issue discussed openly in the Israeli press relates to religious Jews who are having seven or 10 children in each family "to match the Arab birth rate", but they refuse to work or serve in the Israeli military because they are only devoted to the "study of the Torah".

The transformation of the Zionist entity from a secular state into a religious one, which began in the 1970s under the Likud party, has encouraged Muslims "to take up arms demanding religious states of their own". This transformation has also turned the Arab-Israeli conflict into a "fight till death" which can only end, according to some groups, by "weapons of mass destruction" hitting "major cities in America and Israel as well". The notion of such a "fight" has now drawn the attention of the "Christian Right" in the United States who call themselves "Christian Zionists" and are eager to see an "Armageddon" in the Middle East, which they believe would bring the "Second Coming". These so-called Christians form the Republican base that supported the election of former US president George W. Bush. They are the most ardent supporters of the neo-conservatives who won the recent Congressional elections in the US.

Legacy of the Crusades

All secular western countries are Christian states in the eyes of many Muslims because of the "Christian Crusades" of the past, which plundered the "Muslim East" in the name of religion. Seeing Israel robbing the Palestinians of their land and freedom with "western Christian help", Al Qaida raised the "New Jewish-Christian crusade" slogan, which has been attracting thousands of Muslims who are ready "to die defending Islam". A conflict between fundamentalists who are hell bent on trying to remove each other is indeed "a fight till death", thanks mainly to the Israel's colonial and Jewish fundamentalist policy. Israel is currently losing its legitimacy as a state with more nations casting doubt on its status in many ways. On the other hand, some world governments are now recognising the 1967 borders as the official border of the Palestinian state, raising doubts about the legality of Israel's self-claimed borders, thus rendering Israel's illegal annexation of Palestinian and Arab lands null and void.

Meanwhile, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel, thanks to the Palestinian civil society movement, has grown to become the current policy of many civil society and non-governmental organisations. The proposed public relations campaign is only a facade designed to camouflage a sinister Israeli policy.

A growing number of analysts believe that the only way out for Israel is "to start a regional war" which drags in the United States "to annihilate enemies of Israel" in the region! Nathan Sharanasky, Director of the Jewish Agency, revealed the plan in his statement, saying "Israel is facing an international campaign to take away its legitimate status as a state. It is a real war that threatens our vital strategic interests and existence. We must answer with a strike to be followed by another strike!"

 

- Professor As'ad Abdul Rahman is the Chairman of the Palestinian Encyclopaedia.