TA think tank: Israel fought de-legitimization

A report by the Reut Institute shows that efforts in 2011 to counter attacks on Israel's legitimacy were successful.

By JONNY PAUL, JERUSALEM POST CORRESPONDENT
Burning Israeli flag at 'Occupy Tehran' 311 (R) (photo credit: REUTERS)
Burning Israeli flag at 'Occupy Tehran' 311 (R)
(photo credit: REUTERS)
LONDON- ­ The Tel Aviv think tank behind last year's seminal report identifying London as the "Mecca of de-legitimization" has published a report showing that in 2011, efforts to contain attacks on Israel's legitimacy were successful.
The Reut Institute's report, titled "2011: The Year We Punched Back on the Assault on Israel's Legitimacy," suggests that this past year, Israel and its allies were triumphant in their response to anti-Israel measures.
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The report points to key moments during the course of the year to back up their assessment ­ the "resounding failure" of the "mega propaganda events" strategy, as exemplified by last year's Gaza flotilla incident; the failure of July's "Flytilla" campaign; the British government's decision to amend the universal jurisdiction law; the neutralization of anti-Israel events such as the third Durban Conference; and progress in stifling the anti-Israel boycotts.
"Obviously, the assault on Israel was not stopped everywhere," said Eran Shayshon, Reut's director of national security and global affairs. "However, this confluence of achievements is anything but coincidental. This year we saw a coordinated global effort to combat de-legitimization that emerged on every front, from international forums to university campuses."
The report shows that in the last two years, Israel and its supporters across the globe have regrouped, reassessed the phenomena of de-legitimization and dedicated resources to fight it. As a result, an "anti-de-legitimization network" has emerged.
The 2010 Reut report was widely welcomed by Jewish communities around the world. Last month, Manchester's Jewish community organized one of the largest advocacy conferences ever held in the UK. The Big Tent for Israel conference was conceived by a local rabbi, Jonathan Guttentag, who was inspired by Reut's 2010 study.
In its 2010 report, Reut said that through a coordinated and ideological campaign, Israel is subject to a "global systemic and systematic assault" on its political and economic model that aims to "precipitate its implosion," and this assault is an attack on Israel's legitimacy and right to exist.
However, Reut said it is currently working on a report ­ for projected release at the end of this year ­ which illustrates how emerging trends are likely to change the shape and form of this assault in 2012.