Israeli Internet Propaganda War

CK.1

I came across a web site set up by Israeli students. The object of this website is to encourage Israeli supporters to flood websites such as facebook, bebo, discussion forums and news media comment sections with pro-Israeli messages. They also have a "QassamCount" which is "an application on social media sites Facebook and Twitter that automatically updates a user's status every time a rocket hits Israel. All of that user's friends will see the status update, which lists the location of the attack and the number of rockets fired."

The websie in question is http://www.helpuswin.org/

And here is an article from the Jerusalem Post: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1230733174162&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Very clever move as I think a lot of people are getting fed up with mainstream media and are turning more and more to the internet for their news. So they are flooding internet sites with pro-Israeli propaganda. So if boards gets a sudden influx of pro-Israeli supporters they could possible have come from this site.

Danuogma

There are already plenty of irrational pro-Israeli kool aid drinkers on here spreading Israels laughably deranged propaganda. No need for a sudden influx.

mike65

and plenty of up the 'ra/Fattah/hezzbola/hamas types all over teh interweb as well.

brianthebard

Wonder if thats what the thread in AH was about earlier.

SectionF

mike65 wrote: »

and plenty of up the 'ra/Fattah/hezzbola/hamas types all over teh interweb as well.

Here's a link that might add some perspective, especially about what people are being told, and aren't being told.

Jewish Voice for Peace

Not everybody in Israel wants war.

SectionF

And of course they don't need much tuition in running a conventional media propaganda war, as it seems they have willing helpers.

mike65

and not every Palestinian backs the various parties I listed above.

The web is now "of age", no-one with a campaign can ignore it.

SectionF

mike65 wrote: »

The web is now "of age", no-one with a campaign can ignore it.

And no one can pretend they didn't know what was happening...

Fratton Fred

CK.1 wrote: »

They also have a "QassamCount" which is "an application on social media sites Facebook and Twitter that automatically updates a user's status every time a rocket hits Israel. All of that user's friends will see the status update, which lists the location of the attack and the number of rockets fired."

Hamas fire rockets at civilian targets and the Israeli's aren't allowed to get pissed off about it?

Say what you like about the Israeli action, but don't forget Hamas are quite happy to kill innocent people as well.

ejmaztec

Judging by the comments on an article by Melanie Phillips on the link, I think that many of them have been up-rating the pro-Israeli replies, not to mention commenting themselves.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1105228/MELANIE-PHILLIPS-Yes-war-Gaza-terrible-But-alternative-worse--us.html

Danuogma

Fratton Fred wrote: »

Hamas fire rockets at civilian targets and the Israeli's aren't allowed to get pissed off about it?

How many people have been killed in Israel by homemade rockets in the last eight years?. Defend genocide and ethnic cleansing as much as you like, anybody with respect for humanity and the ability to think for themselves can see that Israels "self defense" justification of this slaughter is contrived nonsense.

Bottle_of_Smoke

Danuogma wrote: »

How many people have been killed in Israel by homemade rockets in the last eight years?. Defend genocide and ethnic cleansing as much as you like, anybody with respect for humanity and the ability to think for themselves can see that Israels "self defense" justification of this slaughter is contrived nonsense.

It's not just people being killed ffs. A third of the population in one of the towns suffer Post traumatic stress. Its the constant fear they have to deal with.

Why does the anti-israel argument always come down to dead bodies?

sceptre

Guys (specifically the last few posters (FrattonFred, Danuogma and Bottle of Smoke)) but take this as a general comment to anyone else as well), you've got an entire thread to talk about the actual events in Gaza and surrounding areas and your views and attitudes on that. This isn't it.

This thread, in case you've missed it, is about what the original poster titled the "Israeli Internet Propaganda War". You're not currently discussing the "Israeli Internet Propaganda War", you're hijacking the thread to talk about something else when there's a perfectly good thread dedicated to that something else. I'm not going to hesitate to ban anyone who posts in this thread when you know damned well that it's not what it's for, for a possibly disproportionate period of my choosing. One warning, and this post is that warning.

Sand

The Israelis probably have taken steps to try combat the Palestinian PR machine which pretty much dominates the outsides world of the conflict.

It's fairly hard to pull off though.

The Palestinian propaganda machine [ Pallywood] is so sophisticated and plugged into the western media [ who usually have no investigative assets whatsoever in the region and rely entirely on "Palestinian sources" for raw footage of events] that they can pretty much script, cast and film entire scenes and have it reported on Western news stations as actual events with no investigation or fact checking whatsoever. On the other hand, even detailed, easily verified Israeli statements are given the "supposed, claimed, so-called" treatment by the same Western media.

There is also the emotive bias in the conflict. Quite simply, there are people who have no objective grasp of reality. The situation of the Palestinian people is unjust, so therefore they have a right to kill random Israelis in protest. This is acknowledged as a bad thing, but much in the same way as rain is a bad thing...what can you do? The Israelis have it coming after all.

This admirably cynical attitude is discarded when the Israelis defend themselves. The situation of the Palestinians is unjust, so Israelis dont have the right to defend themselves. Its an absolute outrage when they do. Millions of people will march to protest Palestinians dying, but no one marches to protest the deaths of Israelis or to call on Hamas to declare an immediate ceasefire.

Any action taken to defend themselves is in fact an action taken to perpetuate the unjust situation the Palestinians find themselves in. So it doesnt matter if the IDF doesnt use the Hamas rules of engagement and simply kill random Palestinians in protest. It doesnt matter if the IDF sends warnings by leaflets and texts to people in areas near where the IDF will be attacking in an attempt to minimise civillian casualties. It doesnt matter if the IDF use depleted uranium rounds to prevent shrapnel travelling as far.

Despite taking all these steps to minimise casualties, having more concern for the people of Gaza than their own elected government does, the Israelis are still monsters. The Western media feeds this view, and constantly sets the tone of pressure on Israel to declare a ceasfire, and talk of proportionality in the response - as if the Israelis went over their quota of Palestinians for the week.

So its very much an uphill struggle for the Israelis to advocate to a wider audience, that no, they dont drink the blood of Arab children for passover, let alone that actually - they have the right to defend themselves, they are willing to make peace, but only a real peace and so on. There is almost certainly an attempt to put the Israeli view across, but it wont reach those who view the conflict as some sort of morality play with brave, noble Hamas standing up to the accursed imperialists.

CK.1

Sand wrote: »

The Israelis probably have taken steps to try combat the Palestinian PR machine which pretty much dominates the outsides world of the conflict.

Israel has excluded all western media from Gaza so the Palestinian reports are all we have to go on. If Israel have nothing to hide why don't they let the media in and tell the story of what is really going in?

Ciaran500

Does Israel control the southern border of the Gaza strip?

Cunny-Funt

CK.1 wrote: »

I came across a web site set up by Israeli students. The object of this website is to encourage Israeli supporters to flood websites such as facebook, bebo, discussion forums and news media comment sections with pro-Israeli messages. They also have a "QassamCount" which is "an application on social media sites Facebook and Twitter that automatically updates a user's status every time a rocket hits Israel. All of that user's friends will see the status update, which lists the location of the attack and the number of rockets fired."

The Turks have the same thing going on in regards to the Armenian genocide . Youtube is banned in turkey so they have a network of websites set up for turks living in other countries to coordinate mass replies to videos on the genocide on youtube. So that anyone who basically doesn't leave a pro-turkey/Anti-Armenian comment on one of these vids will find there comment will have 5+ thumbs down within the hour so its no longer displayed.

Its mental.

SectionF

Sand wrote: »

The Israelis probably have taken steps to try combat the Palestinian PR machine which pretty much dominates the outsides world of the conflict.

It's fairly hard to pull off though.

The Palestinian propaganda machine [ Pallywood] is so sophisticated and plugged into the western media [ who usually have no investigative assets whatsoever in the region and rely entirely on "Palestinian sources" for raw footage of events] that they can pretty much script, cast and film entire scenes and have it reported on Western news stations as actual events with no investigation or fact checking whatsoever. On the other hand, even detailed, easily verified Israeli statements are given the "supposed, claimed, so-called" treatment by the same Western media.

That is a truly impressively sincere expression, at least on the surface, of a fantasy. Proof indeed that some people will inhabit a universe of their choosing, or as the Bush White House put it: 'We create our own reality.'

Do you really believe that Israel gets a raw deal in western media compared with Palestinians and Arabs generally? Does anyone? Have you any idea how many lobbyists that Israel supports in the American media and political systems?

You cry foul because the reporters from Gaza are Palestinian, when Israel has barred its own and foreign journalists. Maybe Gaza journalists should be shot too, for trying to tell the truth. That way, we'd have a nice 'balanced' story for you to chew over at breakfast, with Israeli military spokespersons giving us the real deal.

P. Breathnach

CK.1 wrote: »

Israel has excluded all western media from Gaza so the Palestinian reports are all we have to go on. If Israel have nothing to hide why don't they let the media in and tell the story of what is really going in?

I think that one of the explanations offered to justify the Israeli position is that it would be unsafe for journalists to go in, and that is quite obviously true. Given that the world has been served by some incredibly courageous journalists, perhaps the Israelis should allow them make their own decisions about what risks to accept.

akaredtop

Were'nt we lucky in little auld Ireland all those years when we were dealing with the Brits. Could you imagine if we were up aginst these Israeli thugs.

fly_agaric

sand wrote:

It doesnt matter if the IDF sends warnings by leaflets and texts to people in areas near where the IDF will be attacking in an attempt to minimise civillian casualties.

Its an excellent Israeli propaganda move...

One can employ a good tactic to generate fear & chaos in the enemy population prior to an attack & still garner praise for being a "noble" military who just hates harming civilians!

One thing an Israeli propaganda machine might need to work on is to impressing upon the Idf that bombing the UN doesn't fit in with the whole noble warriors ethic -> even if hamas/hizballah launch an attack from the vacinity..(& Israel considers the UN a supporter of its enemies rather than a neutral party).

No amount of facebook/youtube/bulletin board propaganda can really justify it after the fact imo.

fly_agaric

Cunny-Funt wrote: »

Its mental.

The amount of time/effort which must be wasted by the pod-people who do this sort of stuff is disturbing...

Fratton Fred

i was looking at the news last night and there was one or two bits that didn't seem too convincing. one was part of the UN bombing which showed how three members of an extended family went out to some outbuildings which were bombed and the three guys killed. The buildings looked remarkably intact. The guy also laboured the point that it was his cousin and two other members of his "Extended" family. it all looked a bit staged to me.

i think people underestimate the sophistication of the Palestinian cause, i have no doubt their PR is every bit as contrived as the Israeli's.



what is about the first victim of war?

Kama

I'd regard it as a safe assumption that reports from either side are biased and stricto sensu propagandistic. The same 'debate' (emotivist hurrah-boo anyone?). So people tend to stick to their paranoid corners, Israel is a genocidal echo of the Holocaust, and Hamas are Islamofacist murderers. If you were a tinfoil hat, you could say both sides have a vested interest in upping the violence...but that would be conspiracy theory...Or that neighbouring Arab states have an interest in Palestinian suffering; how many Pro-Pala marches went to the Egyptian embassy, fr'instance, given that Egypt refuses to open its borders for aid?

That being said, it doesn't require a massive Mossad conspiracy for pro-Israelis to update their Facebooks, although the Twitter press conferences were a first as far as I know: 'We hav 2 prtct R ctzens 2, only way fwd through neogtiations, & left Gaza in 05. y Hamas launch missiles not peace?'. Brevity ftw?

Given how 'unmediated' the new social media appear (watching yootube Israeli channel, getting updates from mah Twittahz etc) being able to leverage them by swarm tactics (like the Turkish example) becomes a vital component of the war effort. It's also effective because it's mobilising non-military personnel as well, involving them in the 'Home Front' and getting a feedback loop going, which reinforces their predisposition. Once you act, you believe, and dont want to change your mind and get cognitive dissonance or admit mistake. Propaganda isn't all about convincing others, hardening and mobilising your core is key.

To me, what makes propaganda (which imo should be a neutral word with respect to its truth-value) is its a rationalised attempt at mass persuasion, whether to eat yer vegetables or throw rocks at the IDF. Both terrorism and war (if there's a difference) hinge on the presentation and persuasion of public opinion, which as we know since Bernays at least, is a somewhat malleable beast; narrative, framing, and a good 'coathook' image = The Good War, much as a Pala with a slingshot can make it David V Goliath.

And just because I liek flowcharts:
(yes its USAF rather than IDF, but as an example of the militarization and rationalization of the 'cyberfront' it seems apt. And 'Counter-blogging' sounds so glamorous!)

lwellan dowd

CK.1 wrote: »

I came across a web site set up by Israeli students. The object of this website is to encourage Israeli supporters to flood websites such as facebook, bebo, discussion forums and news media comment sections with pro-Israeli messages. They also have a "QassamCount" which is "an application on social media sites Facebook and Twitter that automatically updates a user's status every time a rocket hits Israel. All of that user's friends will see the status update, which lists the location of the attack and the number of rockets fired."

The websie in question is http://www.helpuswin.org/

And here is an article from the Jerusalem Post: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1230733174162&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Very clever move as I think a lot of people are getting fed up with mainstream media and are turning more and more to the internet for their news. So they are flooding internet sites with pro-Israeli propaganda. So if boards gets a sudden influx of pro-Israeli supporters they could possible have come from this site.

Fantastic ....Thanks for the helpful link....Hope they have some bumper stickers.

Zebra3

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Committee_for_Accuracy_in_Middle_East_Reporting_in_America#Wikipedia_campaign

Danuogma

lwellan dowd wrote: »

Fantastic ....Thanks for the helpful link....Hope they have some bumper stickers.

Where would you stick it?.

cabra64

The idea of the internet as a propaganda machine must be a reasonably recent one, Its power tho will surely be affected by the contributors credibility. Some 15 year olds facebook account will not change the world of politics. Propaganda will always find its way on to the latest media type its just up to the public not to be taken in by it. the lack of reliable comment and reasoned argument really annoys me. Same old guff day in day out on the TV and Radio news shows means that a proper internet source for balanced argument will become the future without doubt.

Serenity Now!

The greater in size the media source, the more diluted and corruptable it becomes and in my view anyone with a gram of grey matter working should be able to tell which websites are slanted and which are not. Anonymity also dilutes credibility.
If people here could speak Arabia, Farsi or Pashtu, they'd see equally biased websites.

Those sit-on-hands 'activists' out there armed with a search box are hardly going to read every angle available to them on ANY subject that currently tickles their interest.