Singing our problems away
It does not require an expert to recognize that Israel’s international standing has deteriorated in recent months, or that extensive consequences of the situation will be felt at length – it seems like we are in the midst of an overwhelming storm of criticism and censure, and its end and outcomes are nowhere in sight.
What can be done? At the outset, it should be acknowledged that Israel and world Jewry are a miniscule minority. We face ingrained hostility from many Muslim and Arab people and countries, as well as antisemitism, which constantly lurks beneath the surface, even when it is not clear and present above it.
There is a tendency to blame “hasbara” for the situation. The word literally means “explanation” but in this context it describes public advocacy, while its detractors view it as propaganda. Where is hasbara? Why is no one doing hasbara? If only hasbara would do what it ought, everything would be just fine. The answer is double: shortage of resources and absence of policy.
The professionals who serve in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are arguably the most qualified in Israel’s civil service. Of thousands of candidates, dozens are selected to undergo rigid and lengthy training. But over the years, the wings of the ministry have been consistently and deliberately clipped.
To answer coalition needs, chunks of its responsibilities are periodically handed to changing and less qualified players, such as a ministry for regional development, a ministry for diaspora affairs, and a ministry for hasbara, which recently shut down almost as soon as it was created.
If that were not enough, budgets are frequently slashed, leading to personnel cuts and closure of diplomatic missions. Let me provide an example from my experience in South Africa at the turn of the millennium.
Government and embassies are situated in Pretoria. An hour drive away is Johannesburg, the main locus of Jews, business and media. Parliament sits in Cape Town, which requires a two-hour flight. When I arrived, the embassy was accredited to two other countries, Swaziland and Lesotho. After the embassy in Zimbabwe closed, the relations with that country and with two others – Botswana and Namibia – fell to us. Incredibly, all that is the responsibility of the ambassador and of one other diplomat, often on a first posting.
But whereas all it takes to overcome a shortage in resources is a decision, the big challenge is policy. Take Israel’s presence in the territories throughout three quarters of its existence, 57 years of 76. Except for automatic supporters of everything Israel does, people ask: if you plan to annex, why are you waiting? And if not, why do you continue to build, and deepen your hold? “But they….” is not a good enough answer. Pointing a finger, justified as it may be, is not policy. Even if an interlocutor of the Israeli diplomat agrees with everything concerning “they”, that will inevitably be followed up by “and you?”
Rather than dealing with these issues, Foreign Minister Israel Katz recently announced that he would include Eden Golan in a list of hasbara emissaries. She is a talented singer who proudly represented Israel at the recent Eurovision contest in Sweden and will undoubtedly warm hearts and raise morale. But can she address questions like Israel’s compliance with international law?
Whoever believes that there are magic solutions or that gimmicks and slogans can compensate for a shortage of resources and especially for the absence of a coherent policy, is apparently not aware of the extent of Israel’s crisis, or of leadership’s responsibility to address those of its causes which are within Israel’s control.
Oh, and the name of Eden Golan’s song in Eurovision? Hurricane…
