Tuesday, February 26, 2013
14 successful counterassaults on Israel’s legitimacy
An American group is distributing a new analysis of what works in the fight against those seeking to isolate the Jewish state
In isolation, the lessons learned from these two campaigns might not be useful for other communities facing BDS efforts. However, a new report by the Israel Action Network (IAN) has analyzed these and a dozen other successful attempts to combat delegitimization, part of an effort to find common denominators and identify best practices going forward.
“If there’s one thing these 14 cases tell us, it’s that a nuanced approach matching the messengers to the target audience is what works best,” says Geri Palast, IAN’s managing director. “These case studies reinforce the idea that the most effective way to reach people is to show the human face of the Israeli people and their narrative. And that we cannot reduce the complexity of the conflict to a single soundbite.”
Liberals Claim Global Warming Causing Violent Unrest in Middle East
Global warming, or climate change as environmentalists prefer to call it during colder seasons of the year, is now considered a root cause of Middle Eastern violence, according to liberals.
The Washington D.C. based liberal think tank Center for American Progress is hosting a panel with Tom Friedman, Anne-Marie Slaughter, and Michael Werz this Thursday discussing the Center's new volume on “Climate Change and the Arab Spring.”
Farrakhan Cheers Hagel’s ‘Jewish Lobby’ Comment
Chuck Hagel may not be having much luck winning over Republican senators, but at least someone is aware of his moral fiber — Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam. Yesterday he delivered his annual address at the Saviours’ Day convention in Chicago, Ill. In the speech, he praised Hagel for standing up to the “Jewish lobby,” and said Hagel was being punished only for stating what Farrakhan has argued for decades.
The Israeli Version of ‘Argo’ Is Even Better
The unbelievable story of Israel’s last military diplomat in Iran
If you saw this year’s Best Picture-winning film Argo you might have appreciated how real and intense the film made the plight of six American diplomats trapped in Tehran seem.
In an (excellent) interview with Fresh Air, director/actor Ben Affleck let it slip that, without extensive information on the minute-by-minute happenings of the operation, the film had taken some creative liberties with the story. If you’re looking for the real thing, I’d recommend this story about Brig. Gen. Itzhak Segev’s mission to get 32 Israelis, who were in Tehran as the revolution began, out of the country.
Iran Slams Hollywood Over 'Argo' Oscar Win
Iran, upset over the film “Argo” winning the Academy Award for best movie, says the movie "lacks artistic value."
"This anti-Iran movie lacks artistic value," Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister Mohammad Hosseini was quoted as saying on Monday by the official IRNA news agency.
"It was awarded the top honor through a massive financing and advertisement campaign ... so that it attracts more attention worldwide," said Hosseini, who also accused Hollywood of targeting the Islamic Republic.
Oscars: Iran gives Michelle Obama sleeves
Michelle Obama's brief video appearance at the Oscars proved too racy for Iran's state news agency, which took it on itself to PhotoShop the First Lady's shoulderless dress into a more modest outfit.
Dozens protest anti-Semitic bullying at Danish school
Rally comes after principal says she’s advised Jews to study elsewhere because of harassment by Arab pupils
The protesters at Saturday’s rally outside the Radmandsgades elementary school in Norrebro, a suburb north of Copenhagen, held up Israeli flags and signs reading “Today we are all Jews.”
The demonstration was in response to recent statements by Lise Egholm, a retiring headmistress of the Radmandsgades school, who said the bullying of Jewish children by Arab classmates forced her to advise Jewish parents not to enroll their children in the school.
IDF Blog: 24h In the Life of a Soldier: Facing Hezbollah on the Israeli-Lebanese Border
The area near the Israeli-Lebanese border is beautiful. The rainy season has painted the area green. We’re joining a group from the Herev Battalion, most of whom are Druze soldiers permanently stationed at Israel’s northern border. Their base is only ten meters away from the border. You can clearly see the Lebanese villages on the other side.
Israel’s high-tech ambassadors take to the road
Israeli start-ups can help out the country’s image, even as they make connections at international trade shows, says the Tsav 8 group
One of the best places to spread that alternative Israel narrative is at one of the most important international tech trade shows, the Mobile World Congress (MWC), which takes place in Barcelona. And a group called Tsav 8 has, for the past five years, taken upon itself the task of preparing the nearly 2,000 Israelis who will be attending to answer the hard questions about Israel — and to spread the word about how the Start-Up Nation has changed the lives of hundreds of millions for the better.
