Citing a major failure, State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss slammed the Prime Minister's Office and the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday for not creating an effective Arab-language public diplomacy team.
In a report released Wednesday, the comptroller said that the lack of Arabic speakers to address the relevant media was a "national failure" that was demonstrated during Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip last year.
The government also failed to set up proper radio stations that could be used to transmit Israel's message to the Gaza Strip, West Bank, Lebanon and Syria.
"This has harmed Israel's public relations to these populations," the report claimed.
In the report, Lindenstrauss said he found that the government decision to establish a National Information Directorate was not fully implemented, particularly with regard to setting up a team of Arabic-speaking spokespeople in the Prime Minister's Office, the Foreign Ministry and the IDF.
According to the report, the Foreign Ministry failed to implement a cabinet decision from 2007 to bolster its Arab-language department.
"Instead, it has regressed due to a lack of personnel," the report said.
Lindenstrauss noted that in conversations with Israel's Arabic spokespeople, it is clear that there are too few who are effective on camera.
"In reality, the PR teams in Israel, which each require spokespeople like this, are finding it difficult to properly respond to the demand," the report stated.
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