Israel brings Gaza airstrikes to the Web
The Israel Defense Forces this week extended its airstrikes on Gaza to the Web, posting video footage of its air assault against Hamas militants on YouTube and using Twitter to spread its message.
According to various news reports, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) created its own YouTube channel carrying videos that include black-and-white aerial footage of attacks on Hamas weapon sites, and clips of Hamas terrorists loading rockets into trucks.
An IDF spokesperson said it is using the platform to "help us bring our message to the world," by offering "exclusive footage showing the IDF's operation success" in Gaza.
Israel launched its air assault on Gaza on December 27 in a move to stop Hamas militants from firing rockets into Israeli territory.
The New York Israeli Consulate also initiated a Twitter feed in an attempt to share its viewpoints with a younger audience, garnering more than 2,900 followers since its microblogging service was launched Monday.
Spokesperson for the consulate David Saranga, as quoted in a CNN report, said: "We saw that there is a big debate, a very vivid debate about the situation in Gaza, and we wanted to bring our point of view. We wanted to share it with people on Twitter.
"We wanted to outreach to the young generation, who does not read the conventional media, but is still interested in events in the Middle East, so we thought this is a good way to be an official voice for the questions people are asking," Saranga said.
Videos removed, reinstated
Some of the IDF's videos on YouTube were removed, presumably due to a policy on the video-sharing site that prohibits "inappropriate content." The site provides a feature that allows users to flag videos as unsuitable, and such content will be removed if it is deemed to violate YouTube's guidelines.
Some clips, however, were later reinstated.
While not commenting directly on the IDF videos, YouTube's policy chief Victoria Grand said in the CNN report: "Occasionally, a video flagged by users is mistakenly taken down. When this is brought to our attention, we review the content and take appropriate action, which may include restoring videos that had been removed."
The IDF said in a statement on its YouTube channel: "We are saddened that YouTube has taken down some of our exclusive footage.
"As the state of Israel again faces those who would see it destroyed, it is imperative that we in the IDF show the world the inhumanity directed against us and our efforts to stop it."
According to FoxNews.com, Israel plans to launch an independent blog where videos can be viewed without any restrictions.
Eileen Yu reported for ZDNet Asia.
stupid people like you who dont know nothing about the real situation must shut up
I know everything about the situation that those carrying out the punishment against the palestinian and thos who support them are atheists. Forcing the end times of the Bible on a people who do not belive in the new testament.
This is why AIPAC is not very well liked. So AIPAC,AEI,PNAC are all pushers of the NEW WORLD ORDER all in the name of JC in which many in Israel scoff at. Hipocricy in the extreme. JC is of peace not war and war does not = peace. Defile the cause of the book and you will be given the plagues of the book. sad....
where is your precious almighty god at? surely with his infinite power and wisdom, he/she/it could with the blink of an eye end this war and all wars... could end starvation, could cure cancer, could do all sorts of miraculous things, but it's been 2000 years and nothing has chanced. what happened to all those biblical miracles I've read about? why don't they happen anymore?
This should be Youtube's moment to shine. Compile videos from both sides to tell stories on a personal and political level that CNN & Fox would completely miss. Instead, Youtube will feature cutting edge videos of people getting kicked in the groin, and then complain that they haven't been able to turn a profit... or be socially relevant yet.
If peace is ever to be achieved in the middle east, peace will have to become more profitable than war. America must reward peace and punish war to make that happen. Pay offs (like that given to Egypt) resolve nothing.
unless you're living, right now, in Southern Israel, i don't think your comments would make much sense. You see, what the news sites don't tell you, is that Hamas hasn't recently started firing rockets at Israel. Hamas has been firing rockets at Israel FOR THE ENTIRETY of the ceasefire agreement. Now, you may call Israeli what you want, but it's very....inappropriate for Hamas to violate an agreement they agreed to. It's dishonorable and spineless. Not that all Palestinians are any of these things - most are victims of the extremists who interpret the Qur'an as an invitation to kill. Israel's attack of Gaza is one a long time calling, and probably what Hamas wanted. I don't think they're gonna get what they want in terms of a victory though - this is no Lebanon, and this time, Israel's not gonna make the same mistakes it did before.
It's hard to see Gaza as a country at all; what kind of country openly advocates the annihilation of it's neighbor? Oh right! There's that...what's it called...Iran! that's right! How does Iran make you feel? Ahmedinejad is quite a comedian, i know.
Israel has had rockets fired at it for months. If the Hamas government actually cared for its people, it would have stopped rocket fire. If Hamas stops trying to kill Israelis, the borders will open, and the "humanitarian crisis" will pass. And if maybe, just maybe, Iran started providing aid and not Qassam rockets, people in the Gaza strip wouldn't be so impoverished. Don't look at Israel to risk the livelihood of its inhabitants for aid to supply those trying to kill Israelis. Think about who's really at fault in all of this. Maybe it's those making their situation worse and destroying Palestinian lifelihood - Hamas.
So if Hamas was the one who started the war, what do you think of the siege on Ghaza for the whole last year?
No medicine,
No electricity,
No food,
No nothing.
If I was to be living in Ghaza I would surely be against Israelis who are prohibiting me from my right to "breath"
why would anyone allow anything to help support a terrorist government. why should Israel provide electricity to a group who openly admits that it wishes to see the destruction of Israel?
if I kept threating to burn down your house and kill your family because I hate you with every fiber of my being... would you feed me, give me money, medicine and pay my electric bill as I sit and secretly demise your destruction?
if I was to punch you every day of the week, would you eventually punch back? I'm sure Israel is getting rather tired of all the rockets being launched from Gaza, so they finally punched back HARD this time.
There is no "Palestine" - there was no country or people called that before Israel existed, this is an invention of Muslim extremists for the purpose of advocating gaining control of the entire middle east. Tolerance does not mean allowing violent lunatics to control the debate by controlling the language. Over and above the daily rocket attacks, Hamas continues to dig tunnels into Israel from which to launch new bomb attacks against civilians. What is Israel to do, faced with rocket attacks and terrorist murder on a daily basis, from an entity which is sworn to destroy it - give up and die? Make a new accord with an organization which is sworn to fight to the death and which has violated every single prior accord, and whose people literally dance in the streets at news of successful terrorist attacks against the US or Israel? No, they are doing the only thing they CAN do - fight the invaders to survive.
I wonder how other countries would react, if someone kept firing rockets into their country, over and over and over again. Would they be so quick to go with the slap on the wrist that they suggest Israel do?
Hamas is listed as a terrorist organization for a reason! And how can you trust them to a cease fire when they openly call for the destruction of Israel as they do not believe in Israel's right to exist as a country.
Funny thing is, before WWII, no one really cared at all about that land. It wasn't until years later after the Jews moved there in WWII that it became this political hotbed for Islamic extremist around the world.
Granted the Israelis aren't without fault... and as long as this has some levels of religious extremism involved, this conflict will never end.
Maybe you can move to Iran, join their military and you will feel right at home.
They simply serve some minor people's interests. They simple server purposes of the committee of 300 : http://herrlucifer.blogspot.com/2008/12/shocking-facts-committee-of-300-that.html
Mmm... let's see how that kind of cop will treat their own innocent children:
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/israeli-teenagers-jailed-refusing-serve-army-20081218
And Let's see how that cop will treat their neighbors innocent childs:
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/israelopt-immediate-access-humanitarian-workers-and-observers-essential-20081231
Don't get me wrong, I just love cops, but truly, just because I do, that doesn't take away from me the right to point out when one has gone.. well you know... rather insane =_=
Just as the goal of the Hamas Covenant is the eradication of Israel, so the goal of the Israel Defense Forces should be the eradication of Hamas.
Anything less than this IDF goal is disproportionate.
And does this give Israel the right to kill children and women ??!!!!!!!!
30% of the killed Palestinians in the recent 10 days are children.
What a fair war !!!!!
For 60 years Israel has tried brute force and taken land as needed. It has not brought peace. Perhaps it is time to try another tact, such as an end to assassinations during a truce and no more settlements on Palestinian land? You might also try talking to Hamas, since they are the elected government of the people.
Mark Heinemann
US Veteran
Jew
:(
http://www.cbsnews.com/elements/2008/12/28/in_depth_world/photoessay4688168.shtml
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7204102.stm
http://abcnews.go.com/International/popup?id=3269917&contentIndex=1&start=false&page=15
http://abcnews.go.com/International/popup?id=3269917&contentIndex=1&start=false&page=9
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/12/27/gaza.israel.strikes/index.html#cnnSTCPhoto
http://www.thedailybanter.com/tdb/2008/12/operation-cast-lead-a-familiar-story-in-gaza-.html
I really don't understand why do we support Israel and give them weapons !!!!!!
- by matterazi January 10, 2009 6:57 AM PST
- a small suggestion to israelians .... don't talk about the holocaust in the future , because you're making the second one ....
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