Israel’s Foreign Ministry has added a new, improved Arabic-language website, and it’s already paying dividends. Assuming that it doesn’t get blocked in Arab countries, it could be a valuable outreach and information tool to Arabs who get nothing but lies via their own media.
“This is the only official website in the Arabic language that includes such comprehensive information about Israel. There is no other
official website of this scope in Israel,” said Amira Oreo, who heads the Arab Media Division at the Ministry.Following the decision to upgrade the Arab-language website, many documents were uploaded, including documents dealing with Jewish and Israeli history, and information about the political system, women’s rights, economics, culture, as well as videos. All that in addition to current information about important events related to the Foreign Ministry.
“We also present Israel beyond the conflict, for example the Schneider Children Hospital that uses its advanced technology to treat Israeli and Arab children,” said Timora Shapira, the site’s content editor and technical director. “Along with innovations in the fields of science and medicine, we also have content about issues related to politics, such as Israel’s diplomatic ties with other countries, including Egypt and Jordan.”
Oron added: “We decided to also post articles written by liberal Arab intellectuals on the Internet that portray brave positions, even if they don’t necessarily match Israel’s views. It’s important for us to show that Arab writers also oppose terror and support dialogue, and when an Arab visitor to the site reads an editorial from an Arab writer, it receives greater validity.”
Good move. Very good move.