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Box 12227 Birmingham, Michigan 48012-0227 (313) 258-2898 NO FEES OR PREPAYMENT PENALTY IIAberty State Bank&Trust 42 FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1988 hile Israel has proven itself unsur- passed on the bat- tlefield, it has failed miserably in public relations and communications and, as a result, is paying a dear price in the political world. Israel and the Jewish com- munity have received serious setbacks in the last few weeks. First came the an- nouncement from Algiers that the -PLO has "recogniz- ed" Israel. All of the media jumped on the story, few mak- ing the fine distinctions so important when it comes to the issue or recognition and secure borders. Only after the fact did Israeli spokesmen and Jewish leaders try — somewhat belatedly — attempt to clarify the issues involved. The PLO message seeped into the public consciousness and lit- tle could be done to turn the public opinion tide. Israel should have prepared for this eventuality before and during the Algiers con- ference. It could have challenged the PLO in press conferences and mass com- munications to take specific actions, putting the entire conference on the defensive. It is much easier — indeed it is vital — to dictate the public agenda than respond to it. Sophisticated political communications requires what on the battlefield are called "preemptive" strikes, but Israel, for whatever reasons, has failed to take such communications initiatives. Then came the action by the United States, particular- ly Secretary of State George Shultz, denying PLO leader Yassir Arafat al visa to ad- dress the United Nations in New York. Shultz is a decent man and took the action because of his abhorrence for terrorism. He should receive plaudits for his principles; his heart is in the right place, if not his politics. But, having been ruled by his heart rather than head, Shultz made the PLO leader a martyr and positioned Israel and the United States as opponents to peace. How much better it would have been from a strategic political perspective to let Arafat Berl Falbaum is a Detroit area public relations executive. speak. He would have helped pinpoint the PLO's evasiveness in recognizing Israel and failure to assure Israel's security. As William F. Buckley, Jr., the conservative columnist wrote: ". . . our refusal to let him (Arafat) in, among other things, denies us the oppor- tunity to put pressure on him to clean up the murky resolu- tion by which he seeks to create a Palestinian state and leave ambiguous the legitimate borders of Israel." The U.S. action did nothing but cement Arafat's position as a so-called "moderate" The PLO has lost on the battlefields but is winning the public relations war. leader and heightened in- terest in what he will say in Geneva when the U.N. ses- sion is moved to Switzerland. And we can all be assured that Arafat will play the mar- tyr role for what it's worth — as any adept politician would. Israel could have taken the lead and articulated a political position along these lines: "Israel opposes in prin- ciple Arafat's appearance at the U.N. But let him come and specifically recognize Israel, specifically renounce terrorism and pledge the security of Israel's borders." If Israel had taken such a political stance, it is highly unlikely Shultz would have acted unilaterally and the pressure would have been on the PLO. All this combined with the continued hard, volatile and unnecessary strident language about the intifada of Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir and Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin is hurting Israel. The major point is, Israel is losing the public relations war, and it is a war. Those who question the value of public relations and sophisticated communica- tions might remember that politicians, including world leaders, are moved by public opinion — not necessarily principles and issues — and good, effective PR influences world opinion. It is time for Israel to put its good minds to work and ap- propriate the required resources to develop com- prehensive communication programs.