Hamas to hire PR firm

[Balta1701]

I have a habit of mostly staying out of some of the Israel-Palestine discussions...but sometimes you just can't pass one up.

 

Hamas is paying a spin doctor $180,000 (£100,000) to persuade Europeans and Americans that it is not a group of religious fanatics who relish suicide bombings and hate Jews.

 

The organisation, also known as the Islamic Resistance Movement, has hired a media consultant, Nashat Aqtash, to improve its image at home and abroad because it expects to emerge from next week's Palestinian general election as a major political force, and wants recognition and acceptance by the US and EU.

 

"Hamas has an image problem. The Israelis were able to create a very bad image of the Palestinians in general and particularly Muslims and Hamas. My contract is to project the right image," said Mr Aqtash, who also teaches media at Birzeit University in Ramallah.

 

"We don't need the international community to accept Hamas ideology, we need it to accept the facts on the ground. We are not killing people because we love to kill. People view Hamas as loving sending people to die. We don't love death, we like life."

 

Mr Aqtash, who describes himself as opposed to violence and "believing in the Gandhi route", has advised Hamas leaders to change their image by explaining that they do not hate Israelis because they are Jews. And he is attempting to persuade influential foreigners that Hamas is essentially a peaceful organisation that was forced to fight, but is now committed to pressing its cause through politics, not violence.

 

"Hamas does not believe in terrorism or killing civilians. But Ariel Sharon pressed buttons to make people angry. Sometimes we are innocent enough to react in a way that the Israelis use the reaction against us," he said.

 

Next week Mr Aqtash says he will address the former US president Jimmy Carter and former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt, and other prominent foreigners monitoring the election. But he admits he and his small team working from an office in Ramallah have their work cut out. Hamas is responsible for scores of suicide bombings, killing and maiming hundreds of civilians (many of them children), although not for yesterday's attack in Tel Aviv.

 

Hamas's founding charter calls for the destruction of Israel and it wants to impose an Islamic state on all Palestinian territory.

 

Mr Aqtash, who says he is not a member of Hamas and does not know where it got the money to pay him but frequently refers to the group as "we", says he has told the leadership it has to change its rhetoric. He says Hamas has not helped itself by celebrating suicide bombings; he advises against celebration. And he has told Hamas leaders not to talk about destroying Israel.

 

"Abdel Aziz Rantisi [the former Hamas leader killed by Israel two years ago] was on television saying things that foreigners cannot accept, like we will remove Israel from the map. He should have talked about Palestinian suffering. He should have said we need this occupation ended. Foreigners will accept this," he said.

Here's the question...what will be more successful...Hamas's plan to improve its image in the West using PR firms, or the U.S.'s attempts to improve its image in the muslim world the same way?

[Heads22]

Heh. "Hamas has an image problem." Probably as much as does Gage when he tries to "fix" the board.

[Flash Tizzle]

Here's the question...what will be more successful...Hamas's plan to improve its image in the West using PR firms, or the U.S.'s attempts to improve its image in the muslim world the same way?

 

Without question, Hamas. Although neither will be very successful. My reasoning is their organization isn't attempting to spin their image for the American public, but rather the European Union and the Unites States government. I trust our government won't find Hamas legitimate regardless of their commercials. European Union, however, is a different matter. Hamas' habit of supporting the logistical operations of suicide bombers reponsible for killing Israeli's probably doesn't phase many countries withint the EU.

 

For the American government to reform it's image within the Middle East, they'd have to undue years upon years of heavily embedded, anti-American sentiment. It's difficult to combat popular news networks such as Al-Jazera, countless finactical newspapers, or even the influence of families and friends. It's not as if a new generation of Muslim children are growing up in a world where our government is friendly with various Middle Eastern nations. Our relationship with Israel certaintly doesn't help matters. Those who live through the Iraq War will only harbor their hatred and continue a cycle of distrust towards the US.

Edited January 20, 2006 by Flash Tizzle