Not surprising, but worth some deliberation. Why? Well, for starters, it should be pointed out that Yuli Edelstein, the Information Minister, is a settler. In Hebrew, the name of the ministry is the "Hasbara" Ministry. "Hasbara," in Hebrew, means "explanation" and is a euphemism for propaganda. Good luck explaining the settlements - by a settler.

But it gets better.

Edelstein told the Israeli news site Ynet last month what his solution is to Israel's severe "explanation" crisis. "I intend to draft the millions of Israeli citizens travelling abroad to take an active part in the Israeli hasbara apparatus," Edelstein said. He figured that over 4.2 million Israelis travel overseas annually. Soon, he said, his ministry will launch a campaign to instruct Israeli travelers how they can do the job. He's even planning to dedicate a special website to that purpose (by the way, Israel's Hasbara Ministry does not currently have a website).

Amazingly, according to the Ynet report, the poll found that 85% of those asked said they will be willing to take part in Israel's hasbara blitz when traveling overseas. I can just see the tens of thousands of Israelis who travel to Turkey for "all inclusive" vacations explaining to their hosts what is the real agenda of the settlers' "hilltop youth."

So, why does Israel have an image problem?

Don't ask me. Ask Ben Dror Yemini, the nationalistic, jingoistic opinion editor of the Israeli daily Ma'ariv. Yemini often writes about the damage that critics of the state of Israel do to its image. He actually writes about it a lot. But even Yemini understands that you need a good case to have effective hasbara. Recently, he wrote a surprising blog posting headlined "It is not the Hasbara." Here's how it starts: "We are deluding ourselves (by believing) that it's about hasbara; That if only we told the world how wonderful we are, everything would have been rosy for us. As one who deals a lot with the industry of anti-Israel lies, it's hard to accuse me of not understanding the importance of Hasbara. It's important. But let's not exaggerate. Not everyone out there is anti-Semitic. Some love Israel. And they, even they, cannot understand us."

Yemini goes on to point out that Israel has rebuffed Syrian President Bashar Assad's peace overtures, Israel is consistently dismissing the Arab League's peace initiative, and is utterly dismissing the possibility that Hamas could transform into a legitimate interlocutor. "The Image is that the Arabs are offering peace and Israel is turning its back," he wrote, "It can be different. It is okay to say yes. The Arabs understand it. We forgot."

For years, I have been hearing complaints both from Israelis and from American Jews about Israel's propaganda apparatus. Most think that Israel's hasbara operation overseas is a perpetual failure, while the Palestinians run an excellent operation.

I disagree. Israel has a robust, well-organized, and quite effective propaganda enterprise. It is aggressive. It is handled by an extensive network of Israeli diplomats. The Foreign Ministry has a hasbara department, which feeds well-spun material to hasbara attaches in Israeli diplomatic missions. In the United States, this Israeli network is assisted by a large network of American pro-Israel activists, some of them very capable and very effective.

And that's not necessarily a bad thing. Don't get me wrong. It is important for Israel to explain itself. Israel is a unique country in a unique situation. Much of what happens in Israel is often misunderstood and Israel often has a good case to make. Furthermore, because of Israel's unique status internationally, its image on the world stage is a matter of national security. Israel needs good global PR because it needs foreign support--militarily, diplomatically and otherwise. It needs foreign trade. It needs the world.

The problem is that the world increasingly resents Israel's occupation of the West Bank and is getting more and more frustrated with what it sees as Israel's unwillingness to end it. And because the world is not willing to tolerate the occupation, it is becoming more and more critical of Israel. As a result, Israel is increasingly becoming internationally isolated.

And the more isolated Israelis feel, the more self-righteous they become and the more frustrated with "the world", which - either out of ignorance or out of sheer anti-Semitism - refuses to understand.  And if they don't understand, the only thing you can do is try to explain. Hence, hasbara.

As Israel redoubles its hasbara efforts, it is finding it increasingly difficult to convince non-Israelis. And as Israelis increasingly focus on hasbara, they become less focused on policy.

For Israel to change the course of its international image and its international relations, what has to change is not its PR strategy but its political and diplomatic strategy. It must work for peace that would put an end to the anomaly of its ruling over another people.  

There is a lot of effective, positive, compelling and persuasive marketing for Israel to do worldwide. There is a lot to be proud of, and there is a lot of pride to share. But on the occupation, Israeli hasbara has reached its limits. It has reached a point of diminishing returns. It both diverts Israelis from necessary policy changes and presents Israel as disingenuous.
Instead of asking Israeli citizens to explain their government policies abroad, I would advise Minister Edelstein to focus on explaining to Israeli citizens why the time has come to take the necessary steps to end the occupation and reach a lasting peace with the Palestinians and the entire Arab world.