Anti-Israel extremist Max Blumenthal & NY Public Library

American bookshelves are stocked with books which are biased about the Arab-Israeli conflict, a clear indication of the continued uber-left wing leanings of the academic and media community about Israel (and many other issues.) Spent part of the weekend at the main branch of The New York Public Library in Manhattan and it is simply amazing how many liberal books about Israel line the book shelves, and how many books which are harsh about Israel there are.

Amongst those that caught my eye was Peter Beinart’s “The Crisis of Zionism”, and “Goliath: Life and Loathing in Greater Israel” by Max Blumenthal. Multiple copies of this and other similar minded books. Blumenthal’s book can be described as nothing short of Anti-Israel. Even Eric Alterman of The Nation described it as “The ‘I Hate Israel’ Handbook.” The book was a rant against Israel where Blumenthal repeatedly compared Israel to Nazi Germany and had a chapter entitled “How to Kill Goyim and Influence People.” While Blumenthal spent four years on his book, the good news is that in Israel no one has heard of him, read his books or gives a damn what he writes.

As The Forward said, “Outside the far-left and anti-Israel blogosphere, “Goliath” has been ignored.” Unfortunately, however a leading Democratic think tank in Washington D.C, the New America Foundation (NAF) allowed Blumenthal a speaking forum – although the good news is that there is virtually no one in Israel who has heard of him or he influences. One wonders why forums are provided – think-tanks and libraries – to such extremist viewpoints.

Would books by extremists of the white community propagating views favoring the KKK be promoted? Or books advocating the continued enslavement of women? One wonders why when it comes to Israel such extremists are offered forums.

Ronn Torossian is a Public Relations executive & Author.


SOURCE http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/anti-israel-extremist-max-blumenthal-ny-public-library/

Israel Public Relations Quotes

As one who makes a living owning a PR Agency, there are so many challenges for Israel’s PR. It can be changed – and there are many worthwhile people working to improve Brand Israel.

Some interesting and relevant quotes on the topic:

• “Israel’s brand image does not serve its interests right now.” Ido Aharoni
• “Country positioning is mistakenly referred to sometimes as “nation branding.” Country positioning is what you do in order to improve the positioning of your place, of your country, as opposed to your competition.” Ido Aharoni
• It’s a marketing nightmare, without a single gun being fired: Consistent appearances in the public arena reinforcing an overwhelmingly negative image.” Daniella Peled
• “My objective is to sell Israel as a quality wine-producing country, a New World wine country in one of the oldest wine producing- areas on Earth.” Adam Montefiore
• Americans “find Israel to be totally irrelevant to their lives and they are tuning out…particularly 18-34 year old males, the most significant target.” David Sable
• “Israel is so much which PR doesn’t capture – the warm people, the gathering of the exiles, the great food, the home cooked mentality and so many other great things about the land of milk & honey. Now only if we can get CNN & the BBC to recognize it.” Ron Hershco
• “Rebranding a country can take 20 years or more. It involves more than just generating more positive stories about Israel. The process has to be internalized and integrated, too. Israelis must share in and believe in what we promote.” David Saranga
• “Israel decided to focus on public diplomacy, and to research the country’s values, personality and global potential. I was hired to bring it to life.” Gil Lavi
• We know misperceptions of Israel are rampant in the media; ordinary citizens across the globe see Israel cast as yet another violent nation in a region steeped in unrest and war.” DavidProject.org

Let’s hope with the Jewish New Year that the new beginning brings more positive media to Israel.

Ronn Torossian


SOURCE http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/israel-public-relations-quotes/

The Partisan, Liberal American Jewish Committee

Non-partisan is a term which is generally used to describe an organization or a person unaffiliated with any party, free from bias, or political designation. So when an organization makes a claim of being nonpartisan, but historically consistently supports certain viewpoints, policies and positions, clearly that description can no longer be used to identify it.

The American Jewish Committee (AJC) is just that kind of organization.  It claims to be “strictly non-partisan” – yet cannot be non-partisan when they continually support a failed peace process and a two-state solution. Just as those who oppose a Palestinian State on principle are partisan, so too are those who support a two-state solution. The AJC has a $100 million budget providing it with a strong bully pulpit that allows it to further its left-wing agenda, which includes promoting a Palestinian State. That is the prerogative of its Board and its leaders, but they should not falsely claim to have no political leanings.

In 2004, the leadership of the AJC met with Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat’s national security adviser, Jibril Rajoub, and the AJC leader, David Harris, publicly urged Israel to use the “road map” to get to “peace.”

At that time he said, “If the line were closer to the Clinton-Barak lines, the U.S. would have less concerns and the fence could be politically defensible.” (Those parameters would have placed nearly 97 percent of Judea and Samaria in Palestinian hands.)

During that meeting, Rajoub said, “Terror attacks against Israeli civilians within the Green Line were a tragic mistake for the Palestinian people.”  The clear implication was killing innocent Jews elsewhere is alright. The partisan leaders of the AJC responded with silence, and ignored the words of Rajoub, perhaps because focusing on them would require the organization’s leaders to reflect on what that means for true peace.  This month, Rajoub said, “I swear that if we had a nuke, we’d have used it this very morning.”

Perhaps the reason AJC continually pushes its “non-partisan” classification is because it represents a liberal ideology which is out of touch with the majority of both American Jews and Israelis.  In their desire to be seen as mainstream, repeating a lie again and again may convince some people. In reality, the majority of Israelis rejected the far-left parties who hold positions most similar to AJC overwhelmingly in the two most recent elections. AJC’s own polls show that for two years less than half of U.S. Jews support a Palestinian state, 38% and 43%, respectively.

Yet, Harris and AJC march on with their liberal agenda, most recently with a Huffington Post op-ed entitled “Give The Peace Process A Chance.” Harris falsely claimed Tzipi Livni is a “minister with the Likud Party,” when she is a Minister of the Hatenua party, the furthest left-wing party currently in the coalition.  Harris failed to mention that just a few weeks ago he issued a press release where he condemned Livni’s colleagues for opposing a Palestinian State. AJC’s release quoted Minister Naftali Bennett as saying, “The most important thing in the Land of Israel is to build, build, build. It’s important that there will be an Israeli presence everywhere. Our principal problem is still Israel’s leaders’ unwillingness to say in a simple manner that the Land of Israel belongs to the People of Israel.” The AJC condemned Bennett for supporting the right of Jews to live anywhere in the Land of Israel.

In AJC’s press release, Harris said, “Bennett contravenes the outlook of Prime Minister Netanyahu and contradicts the vision presented earlier this month to the AJC Global Forum by Minister Tzipi Livni, chief Israeli negotiator with the Palestinians.”  Showing support for Livni’s ideology, not Bennett’s – is partisan. Harris has the right to say what he wants — but as Bennett and Livni are partisan – so too is AJC.

Harris continues to blindly advocate for a Palestinian State with little rhyme or reason; like a broken record he calls on Israelis to sacrifice repeatedly. Perhaps AJC should remember the words of Albert Einstein who said, “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is insanity.”

In 1928, the great Zionist leader Ze’ev Jabotinsky said, “Peace with the Arabs is, of course, to be desired. There is no need for a discussion on this matter among the Jews. All of us, one hundred percent of us, want peace.” Prime Minister Netanyahu proclaimed in a Knesset meeting in 2006, “If the Arabs put down their weapons today, there would be no more ‎violence. If the Jews put ‎down their weapons ‎today, there would be no ‎more Israel.” In 2013, both Jabotinsky’s and Netanyahu’s words remain true.

The AJC has positioned itself as the “State Department of the Jewish people,” a self-proclaimed foreign affairs arm of the Jewish community. At least the State Department under pro-Israel presidents changes viewpoints with time. The AJC, regardless of who is in charge, Prime Minister Netanyahu or Rabin, President Bush or Obama, has been committed to a two-state solution – regardless of what American Jews or Israelis want.

Indeed, the AJC has that right in this great country — just don’t pretend that it is non-partisan. Even a PR firm CEO couldn’t claim or spin that the AJC isn’t liberal.


SOURCE http://frontpagemag.com/2013/ronn-torossian/the-partisan-liberal-american-jewish-committee/

Given Obama’s Egypt Experience, Should He Touch Israel?

For many reasons, recent American foreign policy mistakes will be studied for many years in academic institutions worldwide.  Saying nothing of the Snowden affair which will undoubtedly have long-lasting implications, it is clearly apparent that Obama has been naïve, foolish and completely mistaken in his view on Egypt – formerly one of America’s fiercest allies in the Arab world.

The streets are on fire and many questions will be asked for years to come.  Will Muslim fundamentalists believe in democracy? Will the Egyptian military truly be united with political powers that be? Who knows how much blood is in the streets of Egypt and how much America helped?

As Ari Shavit wrote in Haaretz in January 2011, President Obama had betrayed “a moderate Egyptian president who remained loyal to the United States, promoted stability and encouraged moderation.”  Mubarak may not have been perfect – but in an imperfect region, he kept peace with Israel and was a staunch, reliable American ally.  Today Anti-American and Anti-Israel emotion is rampant throughout Egypt.

Against this backdrop, Obama, and the American Administration urge Israel to take risks for peace.  Even if one believes Obama is a true ally of Israel, does not the man’s awful record thus far on the Mideast render anything he has to say on the region completely useless at this point? Obama is a brilliant speaker and Public Relations pro – but the Middle East he doesn’t understand.

Israel can tell Secretary of State Kerry and Obama to solve the other Middle East problems and leave Israel alone.  Israel can’t afford the sort of mistakes America helped create in Egypt.

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SOURCE http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/given-obamas-egypt-experience-should-he-touch-israel/