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Opinion

The best way to defend is not to attack

Politics

June 18, 2015 15:07
3 min read

When will they learn? In PR terms, it is the equivalent of a defender receiving the ball in his own penalty box, having a rush of blood to the head, turning to face his own goalkeeper, slipping, falling on his backside and prodding the ball into his own net.

No, I am not talking about Israel's football team. I am talking about Israel's response to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement . If I was the BDS PR head, I would be worried for my job. It is surely a redundant role as all they need to do is sit back and watch the Israeli establishment do their PR job for them.

We are giving far too much credibility and respect to the BDS movement. Some of the rhetoric in recent weeks is completely out of proportion to the size of the threat. It is both misguided in PR terms and wrong-headed strategically.

Only the other week, we had Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister, Tzipi Hotovely, trigger a prominent article in the FT showcasing the fantastic success of the BDS Movement. That was not her intention of course, but by talking up the strategic threat and calling it antisemitism, she gave them a story where none existed.