|
|
| By Israel Insider staff June 19, 2007 |
|
| |
 Bookmark to del.icio.us |
| |
 |
| The Invitation |
| |
Female Knesset members were aroused by a provocative photo of ex-Miss Israel Gal Gadot, lying down on her back with her legs spread and up in the air, attired in the skimpiest of bikinis, appearing on a formal invitation to a club event -- celbrating the "Women of the Israel Defense Forces" -- being held this evening by the men's magazine Maxim and the Israeli consulate in New York, sponsored by Israeli government ministries and the pro-Israel communications organization ISRAEL21c and the American-Israel Friendship League.
"This pornographic campaign sponsored by the Foreign and Tourism Ministries is an outrage," MK Colette Avital (Labor), former Consul-General to New York said Monday.
"Israel's image has been tainted by sex-scandals involving high-ranking officials as it is. I wonder if the best way to encourage tourism is by advertising sex," added Avital, who finished under Shimon Peres in the recent Presidential election before giving in to his entreaties to withdraw.
Avital demanded that Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik call an urgent session for Israel's parliament to discuss the pressing matter of state.
MK Zahava Gal-On, chairwoman of Meretz, agreed with Avital: "It's unfortunate that the Israeli consulate chose to emphasize Israel's relevance with a portrait of a half-naked woman, instead of with one of women of substance and accomplishments,' she said.
"We found that Israel's image among men aged 18-38 is lacking," explained David Saranga, consul for media and public affairs at the consulate, "so we thought we'd approach them with an image they'd find appealing."
Maxim magazine, which promises its readers "girls, sex, sports" and usually avoids politics and initially balked until provided with photos of 12 of Israel's top models. "When you see beautiful women, good-looking people, on the beaches of Tel Aviv ... you understand that Israel has to deal with the conflict, it's true, and there are religious elements in its society, but there are also other things," Mr. Saranga told the UK's Globe and Mail. "I want people to know that Israel is much more than a conflict, that people in Israel have normal lives."
The Israeli models, Saranga said, were a "Trojan horse" to present Israel as a modern country with nice beaches and pretty women. "Many Americans don't even know we have beaches," he said.
The idea of showcasing scantily clad Israeli girls in a U.S. "beer and babes" magazine -- which made headlines here just days after the Hooters restaurant chain announced it was opening its first Israeli branch on the Tel Aviv beachfront -- previously came under immediate fire from the country's religious right, which bombarded Israeli news websites with allegations that the government was degrading the Jewish state and promoting sex tourism.
But a model who particpated in the Maxim shoot saw stripping down to her swimsuit as an act of Zionism.
"The fact that I can represent this country makes me very proud," said Tali Handel, a 25-year-old former air force sergeant who only took up modelling a few months ago.
Though she said she'd never heard of Maxim before, she expected the article would be "serious" and encourage young Jewish males living in the United States to consider moving to Israel.
"I don't see anything negative about it. Nothing else brings [people] here, not Jerusalem, not the beautiful nature. People are not interested. So, I think it's okay to use something else to bring them." |
|
 
|
|
|
|
Click on the blue headline to read a Talkback comment and respond to it. Click on the  icon to send a private email to the talkback writer. The icon appears only if the writer has decided to be contacted. If no popup window appears, please make sure your popup blocker allows israelinsider.com.
|
|
| |
|
|
