We got our form-letter announcing the launch of isRaelli, the new Israel blog being run by a bunch of folks out of the New York consulate, so we dutifully went to check it out. Initial reactions:

(1) It's an Israeli life blog, not a politics blog, seemingly closest in content to Israelity. So on one side, you've got an Israeli life blog being written by people in Israeli and edited by AK Sommer, PJM Middle East editor. On the other side, you've got an Israeli life blog written by New Yorkers and edited by someone who is not AK Sommer. Hmmm...

(2) As far as we can tell, there's only minimum snark. For instance, in 23 Questions To An Israeli in NY, nowhere does the query "how the hell do you put up with all these NY Jews thinking that the Wailing Wall is somewhere in the LES" ever come up? That's going to be a problem.

(3) 2001 called. Something about a web design...

(4) Too many gratuitous movies and jpegs inserted just to generate content. That's our trick, and we're kind of bitter that they're pulling it off with so little subltly. Because that too is our trick.

(5) Typos everywhere. Lynn is going to have an aunerism.

This is really just bitterness because Israel started an officially blog, and instead of going after media bias they're posting YouTube videos in posts like Virtual Aquarium and Israel Gone Wild. In fact, they call themselves "the new and improved Israel Video Blog". Memo to the New York consulate: we already have something like that. This just seems like an effort to "make people like Israelis", which is so far past where the issues are today that it seems like of frivolous.

Still, we dutifully RSS'd it like we're supposed to. But we're skeptical that we're going to be posting much about it.

Previously: Vulgar Palestinian Propaganda Succeeds with International Media - Again!, Palestinian President Hates Reality, Blames Israel, Do They Just Get To Make Things Up Now? - How Israel Is Losing The Propaganda War