Thanks for your comment. As you noted, part 1 is already known, i.e. what world perception about Israel already is.

As to the reason for rebranding, the most troubling trend today vis a vis Israel is the growing movement to delegitimize its very existence. The frame of the creation of Israel as a vestige of imperialism, (the land didn’t belong to Britain and they had no right to allow the formation of a Jewish state there), is gaining adherents by the day, giving rise to wider and louder talk of sanctions, boycotts and the like.

Israel’s platform is very weak. Criticism is addressed by trying to paint Israel as an underdog, which it no longer is. The Holocaust is still used as a lever in the \Why Israel\ argument, which these days tends to just deepen the resentment toward Israel. And trying to communicate its strengths in tech, sex etc. is perceived as spin by its detractors.

That’s why I propose a more honest platform for Israel; one that acknowledges Israeli aggressiveness, (it is a national characteristic, after all), together with its take-no-prisoners focus, (bad metaphor intentional), and a cultural, academic and scientific life that borders on the miraculous, especially given the country’s circumstances.

Today’s branding efforts reek of spin, and in my view weaken the country terribly, in the diplomatic sphere. I like to say that a half-truth coming out of Israel is equal to 4 lies anywhere else.

In any event, I’m actually trying to get something done in Israel, to break the destructive cycle of groupthink that permeates its messaging. It’s a tough job, and the most effective way of dealing with it, in my view is to write a book about it. I’m smack dab in the middle of it as we speak.

We know why they want to rebrand (Oy, with a Q score that puts them lower than Iran, maybe the girls in bikinis aren’t a bad idea), and I think we know what their current brand perception is. It’s exactly what you’ve described: a country in a permanent state of adversity. A country whose history is a litany of battles fought – against the British, against the climate and arid land; against Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabi, Iraq, and Yemen; against radical Palestinian groups; against world opinion. I don’t think there’s anyone on the planet who doesn’t have some degree of perception of Israel as a gritty, tiny country with an incomparably elite military; cutting edge technology and a good head for business. That story’s been told as often as the one about the Macabees.

OK, so maybe touting half-naked girls and a robust gay community isn’t the best idea. But if they’re looking to reposition themselves so they can at least get a more favorable ranking than some of the world’s creepiest countries, they’re going to have to start telling a different story. Or, more accurately, a different part of their story. I don’t know exactly what that is, but maybe it’s something about a country where hope refuses to die. Where, despite nearly a century of hardship, battles and struggles, a society has grown and flowered; the arts have flourished; businesses and universities took root; and life is lived, not in despair over what has happened, but in hope over what can be. And that’s just as valid a truth about Israel as their gritty fighting warring image. Anyway, that’s my humble opinion.