And they wonder why they need a better PR machine

It is reported in The Age today in "Israel admits to an image crisis" that Israel believes it needs to crank up its PR machine worldwide - to counter its negative image.

"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's communications chief, Ron Dermer, has admitted that Israel faces a serious public relations problem."

Of course, whatever monies the Israelis spend will never be able to overcome the situation - and the realities on the ground for all to see - inflicted on the people of Gaza by the Israelis, as Gideon Levy so graphically describes in his op-ed piece "Spoil them rotten" in Haaretz:

"For the past several weeks it has been very hard to get coffee in Gaza. Gas is dirt cheap (NIS 2.40 per liter), and diesel is even cheaper (NIS 1.70); it's all flowing through the tunnels from Egypt. But there is no coffee. Only after inquiring at a number of grocery stores might you find a bag of coffee, but the grocer will sell you only 250 grams for NIS 18 shekels - an exorbitant price in Gaza. Coffee, as you know, is not a "humanitarian" item; you can live without it. And indeed, Gaza has gone over to tea. Spoil them rotten - that's Israel's Gaza policy.

Every few weeks there's a shortage of another item. Water is in sufficient supply for the time being, but electricity is intermittent. They are repairing the power station but there aren't any spare parts. You try living in the Gaza heat and poverty without electricity. On Tuesday, for example, the electricity supply to Beit Lahia was cut off for hours. They have begun to clear away the rubble from Operation Cast Lead, but they haven't started to rebuild, not even a room, except for mud houses, because there is no cement and gravel."

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