Public relations war

This paper compares and contrasts Israeli and Palestinian approaches to the public relations (PR) war between the two sides. It reflects on the use the parties are making of public relations to advance their interests and assesses the relevance of their efforts for public relations teaching. The paper's background is published criticism of Israel's public relations effort. The critique comes from both academic and official sources - the chair of the communications department at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Israel State Comptroller. While the Government of Israel has established a co-ordinating body modelled on the American Office of Global Communications, supported by three international public relations firms, the debate about effectiveness remains. Official Palestinian responses to the Israeli communication effort appear rudimentary in comparison, but there are signs the need for a public relations strategy is recognised. Non-official pro-Palestinian advocates have developed sophisticated electronic media to counter the perceived dominance of media messages favouring Israel - and are now themselves being confronted in cyberspace by pro-Israeli websites. The public relations contest between these warring parties highlights a number of principles relevant to public relations teaching, including the importance of message consistency and of communication planning.