Today I was greatly angered to learn that the Israeli militant killed over 270 people and injured hundreds of people in an attack on the Hamas security compounds across the Gaza Strip.  The Israeli officials gave a press conference characterizing the attack as open-ended offensive against the Islamic militant group.   

To further my anger, instead of issuing a neutral statement of cease fire to both sides, I am outraged that the US issued a statement defending Israel's attack goes further by ordering the Hamas to cease shooting rockets into Israel.  No where in the statement did the US condemn Israel for killing 270 people!  I don't care who started the attack but there is never a justification for killing innocent lives. 

Also, I am fustrated that the US media outlets were so one-sided in that not one station mentioned in their coverage that the Hamas injured zero Israel citizens in their attacks and that the only people killed from the Hamas attacks were two Palestinian girls when a projectile aimed at Israel misfired and exploded on the Gaza side of the border.  I only learned about that from reading the FT or BBC!  The US media seemed to give more coverage on the crazy Santas Claus that killed a family of 9 on Christmas then global violence in Gaza!

What does this have to do with PR and why am I blogging about this aside from the fact that 270 people were killed!?  Well the answer is easy.  After 270 people were killed in today's massacre, the US goes out and issues a statement to the world supporting our ally Israel and ordering Hamas to stop fire.  This is the dumbest thing for the US to do!  How do you think the rest of the world will perceive us with a statement like that?  How will our own people as well as our neighbors in China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh perceive us? I can tell you that my American friends who follow what's going on with Israel and Palestine are mad as hell.  They cannot justify Israel for killing 270 people.  Nor can they justify Israel for barricading the basic food and medical supplies to the innocent children and families living in Gaza.  And on top of that they cannot justify the United States for supporting and defending today's massacre.

The US needs to do some serious PR which includes educating our own people about what's going on.  We also need to educate the rest of the world that we are fair and just!  We can do this by being more objective in our news reporting.  Nowadays with youtube, the internet and the emergence of social media, everything we say and do is being downloaded millions of times worldwide including in countries like Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.  The United State's statement on today's massacre is probably being used as a marketing materials to fuel hate for the US and to recruit for the next generation of terrorst.  For a country that has the best PR minds, the US has really bad PR!!!

Obama once said we are all citizens of the world.  Just by those words alone and the fact that America has elected the first Black president, the world fell in love with America all over again.  Now with all the violence and the current financial state, America needs more than ever to have a PR campaign where it shows the world that we are just and fair, a country of integrity, and that once again we are that great country where anything is possible if you work hard, regardless of your race or sex.