Gaza between the Victim’s Role and Agency in the Cause: Public Diplomacy as a Model

Abstract

The definition of the victim was influenced by social scientists from various fields, and hence this concept developed into a broader one, that of colonialism, which competes with the victim’s role to attract the sympathy of the modern world. This competition propelled the resistance to take up the issue of what labels and terminologies would best win hearts and minds. They argued that public diplomacy is an excellent option for the Palestinian people who yearn to convey a true image to the world. They also noted that the Freedom Flotilla represented a kind of public diplomacy, and was successful in getting media coverage, so that the world saw pictures that it otherwise might not have seen. Finally, the speakers discussed the role of civil society institutions in Palestinian public diplomacy, because according to them, civil society are far from the official policies of the state.