Israel's problem isn't hasbara, UK ambassador warns, but settlement building, Palestinian conditions eroding support for Israel.
By JPOST.COM STAFFUK Ambassador Matthew Gould 311(photo credit: UK Embassy in Israel (YouTube))
Israel's problem is not hasbara, British Ambassador to Israel Matthew Gould warned in an interview with Channel 10 aired Thursday, saying the Jewish state is today viewed "as the Goliath and it is the Palestinians who are seen as the David."Support for Israel is eroding, he explained, and Israelis might wake up in ten years to find the level of understanding and patience for the status quo has been reduced."The problem is not hasbara; the British public may not be expert[s] but they are not stupid," the ambassador said.The public and members of the British parliament read news about ongoing settlement building, conditions in the West Bank and restrictions placed on the Gaza Strip, he continued. "The substance of what is going on is really what is driving this.""There is a growing concern about the lack of progress towards peace."Israelis and their supporters, Gould warned, should be concerned about the erosion of popular support for the Jewish state.
