Loading ...New Documentary Reveals Israel's Public Relations Strategies in America
BY: Clara Ana Ruplinger/Contributing Writer
The Occupation of the American Mind is a sophisticated and in depth analysis of how Israel’s public relations manufactures misguided support for its occupation of Palestine in American media. The documentary featured scholarly commentators who have become experts on the Israeli propaganda machine.
It is conceivable to think that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza would be impossible without U.S. military and economic aid. Israel has not only carved out a solid territory in former Palestine, but continues to expand through the proliferation of all-Jewish settlements in areas of the West Bank. Through U.S. support, Israel has been able to expand, despite international condemnation. This reality makes it extremely important for the Israeli state to keep the American public and policy makers on their side. The methods that they use to do this are simple, yet very deceptive.
Israel uses a combination of high-level public opinion strategists such as Frank Luntz, as well as the use of donor money and lobbying organizations, to keep the U.S. power brokers on its side in the conflict.
A public relations strategy report created by Frank Luntz called the Luntz Report, “Global language dictionary,” was sited in the documentary. The report shows the strategies Israel uses in order to create the best image of Israel, recommending public relations officials to set up the Israel-Palestinian conflict as one of “ideology, not land, terror on territory.”
The grievances and anger of Palestinians at the loss of their land, the occupation, and the unjust killing of Palestinian civilians is overpowered by rhetoric of terrorism, radical jihad, and anti-Semitism that has no basis as the cause of the conflict. The aim of the Luntz rhetoric is to explicitly distract the public from the injustices that Palestinians endure. The best way to do that is through the invocation of fear and the demonization of Palestinians. The goal is to frame “all Palestinian resistance as terrorism, and Israeli aggression as self-defense.”
The film also highlights the power of the Israel lobby. Pro-Israel organizations severely outnumber Arab American organizations and political action committees in the United States. Lobby groups like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and Christians United for Israel form the backbone of this powerhouse. Each year, thousands of young people are trained by the lobbies in the best ways to lobby their government.
Additionally, the Israel lobby utilizes the power of the press highly effectively. Pro-Israel organizations have given nearly $55 million to political candidates, while Arab American organizations have given collectively about $850,000. This clearly shows the motivation behind pro-Israel policies and their need to keep Congress on their side.
The documentary is harrowing with footage that forces viewers to confront the reality of life in occupied Palestine. There are images of mothers crying in grief; men, women and children covered in blood; Palestinians carrying their fallen; and Israeli soldiers brutally attacking defenseless Palestinians of all ages, old and young. The rights of Palestinians to protest their unjust conditions go unnoticed, or are incorrectly reported, because Israeli officials continuously claim that the Palestinians have always been the aggressors.
The documentary does not deny that Palestinians have perpetrated terror attacks against Israel out of rage for their unlivable conditions, but the problem of this narrative is that the American media only condemns Palestinian attacks.
The documentary reveals that major networks, from FOX to CNN to MSNBC, have all established a line of truth about Israel, which seems immovable, but there is hope. New generations of Americans now get their media from alternative sources, and have ways to access information beyond the limited constraints of televised news.
Israel has been engaged with a long and comprehensive propaganda campaign in order to portray itself as the victim and garner public support. The only way to combat this is to spread the truth ourselves, to resist the narratives we are fed, and to always stand on the side of justice.
The Occupation of the American Mind is a captivating revelation that tells the story of how Israeli propaganda has changed over the years to manipulate Americans and their understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Because of the success of this campaign, it is nearly impossible for the conflict to be talked about objectively. Americans need to demand a change in the ways in which the news is reported in order for a true solution to come from this conflict. The Occupation of the American Mind puts logic first, which is the key to ending this seemingly endless conflict.
“The Occupation of the American Mind” is available via streaming and DVD at http://www.occupationmovie.
The Occupation of the American Mind [Trailer] from Media Education Foundation on Vimeo.