Hard To Top This

Israel has decided to reach out to young male tourists by publishing images of semi-clad female former soldiers in the American men’s magazine, Maxim. The pictures are part of a public relations drive to improve the image of the country within the U.S.

“We definitely have public relations problems, and I’m all for creative solutions,” Israeli lawmaker Colette Avital said. “But there are enough beautiful and interesting things we can use to tap into this demographic than to show a half-naked woman in a magazine of this kind.”

The photo spread included pictures of Israeli model Nivit Bash — who served in Israeli military intelligence— and former Miss Israel, Gal Gadot.

The Israeli consulate defended its decision. “Males that age have no feeling toward Israel one way or another, and we view that as a problem, so we came up with an idea that would be appealing to them,” David Dorfman, a media adviser at the consulate, told the press.
BBC News Online, June 20, 2007