Eyal Arad is considered by many to be the brains behind Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s disengagement plan.
Now, Arad’s office has been granted a government contract to maket the program.
Under the terms of the contract, Arad will prepare an advertising template and distribute information regarding the pullout.
The government’s advertising department asked three ad agencies and strategic planners to bid on the campaign. Only two companies actually bid on the contract, and Arad Communications won.
Arad is reported to have quoted tens of thousands of dollars to run the campaign, but the final numbers have yet to be determined.
Sharon advisor
It is estimated that Arad will run the campaign in accordance with guidelines handed down by Maj. Gen. (res.) Eyval Giladi, the government’s disengagement coordinator; in this framework Arad is also set to participate in Prime Minister’s Office meetings on the disengagement publicity campaign.
Arad has served as Sharon’s advisor since he took office, and is hailed as one of the disengagement plan’s formulators.
'I knew I would not win'
When asked abut a possible conflict of interest, Arad refused to answer.
“I do not respond to questions regarding my relations and contracts with clients,” he said.
Responding to the same question, the Prime Minister’s Office said Arad is not one of the masterminds of the pullout plan, and therefore hiring him is not a conflict of interest.
Among other things, Arad is expected to take responsibility for newspaper ads to offer would-be evacuees information on the disengagement process.
Tal Rabina, who lost the bid, said, “Such a position should be a position of trust, and it does not seem reasonable for the prime minister to proceed with such a critical move as disengagement with someone who does not hold the same views as he does.”
“I respect Eyal Arad very much, but in this case there should not have been a bid. It was clear to me that I was not going to win,” he said.
