New Steven Spielberg movie Munich will be promoted in Israel by a top aide to the country's Prime Minister.

Eyal Arad helped mastermind the recent Israeli withdrawal from Gaza for his boss, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

It is thought his skills are needed to avoid to much adverse publicity over the controversial film.

"This market is an important market," Arad told Reuters. "We are talking about a film that has generated a lot of interest here, and naturally that sort of interest can entail some negative reactions as well as positive reactions."

But one of the widows of the athletes killed in the Munich attacks has said the film is not a threat to the Jewish state.

Ilana Romano pointed out that Spielberg brushes over Mossad's notorious mistaken killing of a Moroccan waiter in the Norwegian town of Lillehammer.

"Had Spielberg wanted to harm Israel's image," she said, "he would have included the Lillehammer affair."