Gen. Aharon Yariv, Israel’s former Minister of Information, said here that Israel was losing the information battle in America and elsewhere to its Arab foes. Speaking bluntly, in an interview published in the Jewish Bulletin, the former Cabinet Minister and former chief of Israeli Army Intelligence, said, “I would have to say that Israel is taking the U.S. for granted, And this includes Jews and non-Jews. I don’t think many American Jews understand the situation in Israel. They don’t know the facts and must have them explained in a basic sense.”
Yariv, who won international prominence when he negotiated the Kilometer 101 cease-fire agreement with Egypt after the Yom Kippur War, said he placed the greatest emphasis on reaching American public opinion because Watergate and the Vietnam debacle have weakened the White House, “the Administration is much more dependent on Congress and Congress is more alert to public opinion.” He said that “especially in times of economic crisis, if we want important aid we have to convince public opinion that it is justified and necessary. Not enough of an effort is being made in respect to dealing with the public.”
Yariv, who resigned from the government of Premier Yitzhak Rabin last month with a blast at Israel’s information set-up generally and a recommendation (which Rabin adopted) to abolish the Information Ministry because it could not function properly under the conditions that prevailed, maintained that “Israel is capable of competing with increased Arab propaganda,” at least in the U.S. if not on a world-wide country-by-country basis.
ROLE OF JEWISH GROUPS STRESSED
He said “Information should be handled on a much more massive and intense scale.” He said he would make much more and better use of Israeli officials abroad and see to it that they covered wider territory and were “never idle” in their efforts to disseminate information on Israel’s position.
Yariv said he would also do his best “to coordinate all the Jewish organizations in the U.S.” because “they can play a very important role in giving out information rather than just receiving it. These organizations all have public relations outlets and they’re not being used effectively right now. We should also take a much more concerted effort in terms of media as well, especially in Israel itself–that’s most important.”
ADDRESSES JUF LEADERS IN CHICAGO
Addressing Jewish leaders at a luncheon of the Jewish United Fund in Chicago several days ago, Yariv expressed the view that “the outlook for Israel is difficult but not bleak.” He said that “although the Arabs force us to make economic scarifies as well as human sacrifices, I assure you all that we shall stay the course.” He added, however, “We can’t do it alone and the only ally Israel has in the Jewish people.” Yariv said his country was “Intransigent….We are intransigent for survival–we just want to live.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
