Israel

Israel, according to the BBC country profile, was created as "the culmination of the Zionist movement, whose aim was a homeland for Jews scattered all over the world following the Diaspora. After the Nazi Holocaust, pressure grew for the international recognition of a Jewish state, and in 1948 Israel came into being." [1]

Rebranding Israel

"When the word 'Israel' is said outside its borders, we want it to invoke not fighting or soldiers, but a place that is desirable to visit and invest in, a place that preserves democratic ideals while struggling to exist," said Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, during a September 2006 meeting with "public relations executives, branding specialists and diplomats" in Tel Aviv. Livni "recently put the image initiative on the government's agenda and will soon develop a budget for the program," according to the Israeli Consulate in New York's media and public affairs consul. [2]

"A staffer with the London-based global ad firm Saatchi and Saatchi is already working with the Israelis free of charge on the re-branding effort." British researcher and branding expert Simon Anholt "said his surveys show that Israel's image abroad is so bad that any re-branding campaign would be 'pointless,'" unless Israel is "'prepared to change its behavior' in the areas of international peace and security." He added, "The most useful thing Israel can do ... is stop wasting taxpayer money in a re-branding campaign." [3]

Related SourceWatch Resources

• Ariel Sharon
• Benjamin Netanyahu
• Frank Luntz
• Israel's War Against Lebanon (2006)
• Likud
• Natan Sharansky

• Access "What links here" in the Toolbox.

External Links

Country Profiles

• Country profile: Israel and Palestinian territories, BBC, last updated April 12, 2005: "The division of the former British mandate of Palestine and the creation of the state of Israel in the years after the end of World War II have been at the heart of Middle Eastern conflicts for the past half century."
• Israel, CIA World Factbook, last updated May 17, 2005.

Articles & Commentary

• Donna Werbner, "Israel in bid to change ‘distorted’ media view", PR Week, May 13, 2005. (Sub req'd.)
• Dan Bloch, "Analysis: Can Israel escape ‘war zone’ image?", PR Week, May 20, 2005. (Sub req'd.)
• Robert Fisk, "Telling it like it isn't", Los Angeles Times, December 27, 2005.
• Keith O'Brien, "Israel boosts tourism push", PR Week, August 16, 2006. (Sub req'd).*Anju S. Bawa, "Israel embarks on PR face-lift", The Washington Times, December 5, 2006.