Israeli PR Experts Debate ‘Goldstone Effect’

Is it the policies or the PR–or lack thereof–that’s deteriorating Israel’s image? At a recent conference, marketing guru Eyal Arad warned that the nation could become the South Africa of the 21st century.

Yesterday NPR explored the PR ramifications of what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the “Goldstone effect,” named after the UN commissioner who reported war crimes on both sides of the Israel-Hamas conflict last year.

It’s agreed that Israel should have cooperated with the investigation, allowing for a stronger hand if they wanted to fight the results of the report.

Now PR experts debate the next steps. Noam Lemelshtrich, dean of communications at IDC Herzliya wants the modern user-generated approach, letting Israelis take to Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to spread a positive message. Arad wants a more top-down governmental approach. Listen to the audio for more:

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