As the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem is gearing for a major public diplomacy campaign as part of Israel's plan to apply sovereignty to large parts of Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley, the understanding that the narrative will hang on every word has prompted it to devise a plan to minimize the diplomatic censure heading Israel's way.
The international community, and especially the European Union, have expressed fierce objection to any unilateral move, saying it would doom the already moribund Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
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Foreign Ministry officials believe that even Israel's friends in the international arena are struggling to come to terms with what is presented in the media as the annexation of part of the West Bank, especially given Europe's own dismal history with moves of a similar nature.
It also seems that "applying sovereignty" is a term many in the Western community find hard to swallow.
Seeking to smooth the path for the move, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he will pursue as early as July 1, the Foreign Ministry has instructed its diplomats to opt for the term "applying Israeli law" when referring to the plan, endorsed by the US under its Middle East peace plan.
The ministry's research on the matter showed that "applying Israeli law" is a terminology that is less politically charged, ad it indicates that Israeli law will replace the Ottoman and Jordanian laws still prevalent in Judea and Samaria despite the fact that it has been under Israeli rule for 53 years.
From this standpoint, seeking to replace archaic and obsolete laws with modern ones, is justified.
Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi has yet to instruct Israeli diplomats on how to implement the move. Ashkenazi, who has been in office for less than two weeks, is still learning its ways, a ministry official said.
