ZioWatch

'Christian Zionism and Jewish Extremism'

Tuesday, January 25, 2005

Israeli-Arab News Cycle

By Juan Cole

I found this Haaretz article too complicated too follow. So the Israeli Army has a psy-ops unit that used to be very active but has been less so recently, and is now being revived. This psy-ops unit plants articles in the Arab press about groups like Lebanon's Hizbullah, painting them as vicious terrorists. Then it comes to Israeli newspaper like Haaretz with translations, and urges that the pieces be written up for Israeli and Western audiences. But of course the pieces are reported as originating in the Arab press:


' The unit's activities have been controversial for years. In October 1999, Aluf Benn revealed in Haaretz that members of the unit used the Israeli media to emphasize reports initiated by the unit that it managed to place in the Arab press. He reported that the news reports focused on Iranian and Hezbollah involvement in terror activity. '



So is MEMRI, which translates articles from the Arabic press into English for thousands of US subscribers, in any way involved in all this? Its director formerly served in . . . Israeli military intelligence. How much of what we "know" from "Arab sources" about "Hizbullah terrorism" was simply made up by this fantasy factory in Tel Aviv?

As someone who reads the Arabic press quite a lot, this sort of revelation is extremely disturbing.

I also saw an allegation that British military intelligence had planted stories in the US press about Saddam's Iraq.

You begin to wonder how much of what you think you know is just propaganda manufactured by some bored colonel. No wonder post-Baath Iraq looks nothing like what we were led to to expect by the press, including the Arab press!

http://www.juancole.com/2005/01/israeli-arab-news-cycle-i-found-this.html

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Milton Frihetsson, 10:46 AM | link | |

IDF reviving psychological warfare unit

By Amos Harel

The Israel Defense Forces is reestablishing its psychological warfare unit, after a lengthy period in which the unit was dormant. It operates mostly in the Palestinian arena.

Lately, dozens of new job slots have been approved for it, and the unit commander has begun filling officer's positions.

The psychological warfare unit was dramatically reduced five years ago, but during the war with the Palestinians, the army grew frustrated with the difficulty of influencing Palestinian opinion in the territories - indeed, of even finding a way of communicating with the population.

Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon often spoke about the need to "sear into the consciousness" of the Palestinians that terror would not lead to achievements. But the army found it difficult to get the message across in the territories and rarely spoke directly with the residents.

Lately, as part of the "battle for the consciousness," Ya'alon decided to grant the status of a company to the unit. Heading it will be a veteran intelligence officer holding the rank of colonel. He was given about 70 positions to fill with officers and soldiers, with emphasis on Arabic speakers.

The doctrine for the unit is still in development, based on consultation with veteran intelligence officers in reserves.

The overall intention is to conduct "awareness operations" to influence Palestinian public opinion, mostly through propaganda, psychological warfare and sometimes disinformation.

It will be under the command of the Operations Branch in the general staff, but will get professional guidance from Military Intelligence. MI had reservations about the unit in the past, when at various times it was located in the field security unit, and MI's research department has been opposed to including in its purview psychological warfare in its various incarnations.

Lately, the psychological warfare department has been involved in IDF propaganda efforts in Gaza.

A senior military source told Haaretz that the air force distributed some 250,000 leaflets in the last two weeks, in which the army explained its reasoning in the war against terrorism, emphasizing that non-combatant civilians are paying the price for Hamas terrorism.

At the Karni and Rafah crossings, which the army closed after deadly attacks, the army hung huge signs reading "Closed because of the Hamas."

The unit's activities have been controversial for years. In October 1999, Aluf Benn revealed in Haaretz that members of the unit used the Israeli media to emphasize reports initiated by the unit that it managed to place in the Arab press. He reported that the news reports focused on Iranian and Hezbollah involvement in terror activity.

Psychological warfare officers were in touch with Israeli journalists covering the Arab world, gave them translated articles from Arab papers (which were planted by the IDF) and pressed the Israeli reporters to publish the same news here.

That was meant to strengthen the perception of the Iranian threat in Israeli public opinion.

The MI chief at the time, Amos Malka, was not enthusiastic about MI's responsibility for the unit and he used the embarrassing reports to reduce its activity. Most of the officers who served in the unit were transferred elsewhere. A lieutenant colonel was left in charge but the unit's activities were frozen.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/531436.html

This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
Milton Frihetsson, 10:44 AM | link | |