Even dictators know they only have as much power as the people will let them. Public relations are essential. That explains why Hamas has hired itself some spin doctors.
Not actually. But The New York Times reports that the Gazan government is moving from missiles to missives:
GAZA — Seven months after Israel started a fierce three-week military campaign here to stop rockets from being fired on its southern communities, Hamas has suspended its use of rockets and shifted focus to winning support at home and abroad through cultural initiatives and public relations.
The aim is to build what leaders here call a “culture of resistance,” the topic of a recent two-day conference. In recent days, a play has been staged, a movie premiered, an art exhibit mounted, a book of poems published and a television series begun, most of it state-sponsored and all focused on the plight of Palestinians in Gaza. There are plans for a documentary competition.
“Armed resistance is still important and legitimate but we have a new emphasis on cultural resistance,” noted Ayman Taha, a Hamas leader and former fighter. “The current situation required a stoppage of rockets. After the war, the fighters needed a break and the people needed a break.”
Mr. Taha and others say that the military has replaced field commanders and restructured itself as it learns lessons from the war. The decision to suspend the use of the short-range Qassam rockets that for years have flown into Israel, often dozens a day, has been partly the result of popular pressure. Increasingly, people here are questioning the value of the rockets, not because they hit civilians but because they were seen as relatively ineffective.
“What did the rockets do for us? Nothing,” noted Mona Abdelaziz, a 36-year-old lawyer in a typical street interview here.
Indeed, the Qassam rockets, a tool of terror more than anything else, did little for Gazans then eventually provoke a war with Israel. As for the PR, it looks like it’s already paying off.
But let’s remember one thing: PR is another term for propaganda. And that’s nothing new for Hamas.
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