Israel backed by army of cyber-soldiers

[Astrad]

"Israel’s Government has thrown its weight behind efforts by supporters to counter what it believes to be negative bias and a tide of pro-Arab propaganda. The Foreign Ministry has ordered trainee diplomats to track websites and chatrooms so that networks of US and European groups with hundreds of thousands of Jewish activists can place supportive messages."

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,174-2289232,00.html

______________________________________

I don't see a problem with anyone doing this, I do see a problem when governments get involved.

[IndianaGreen]

1. The GOP and the DLC have been doing that for years in the US

Why should Israel's "Megaphone," as it is called, be any different?

[atreides1]

2. Makes you wonder

If DU isn't already being worked on?

[hootinholler]

35. I have no doubt that it is...

I also have no proof.

-Hoot

[ThomCat]

42. A whole lot of total newbies have come out of the woodwork

just to post pro-Israeli fluff and talking points.

[IntiRaymi]

46. I completely agree.

One of them, Pelsar, admitted to being an IDF soldier in an exchange I had with him.

[Igel]

47. Pelsar's Israeli, as

his profile would indicate; he's obviously not extremely orthodox. That means he was in the IDF, since service is mandatory. The same is likely true of every other Israeli that was in Israel when it was time to serve, and no deferral was available.

He's also been here since 11/04. Hardly a newbie. Just mostly hangs out in I/P.

[Name removed]

49. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[EFerrari]

3. "pro-Arab propaganda"?

I thought the problem was with terrorists, not with an entire ethnic group? You don't see a problem here?

[smacky44]

13. I see a big problem here. It's called "support" when it's pro-Israel

but "propaganda" when it is pro-Arab. More of the word games these neocon folks thrive on.

[adriennui]

18. free speech

ever heard of it? it enables you to spew your vicious anti-israeli diatribes.

[IndianaGreen]

19. Free speech is not the issue, the issue is that the American media

has become a propaganda arm of Israel. As we were forced to do on the eve of the Iraq war, we now have to rely of foreign news sources to find out what our country is doing about Lebanon.

[adriennui]

26. baloney

have you ever watched paula zahn? or the network news shows. fox yes, other cables definitely not.

matter of fact they're just the opposite.

[EFerrari]

28. Baloney. Did you read the OP? Why go so far afield when

there is an example right here?

You have been quick to insult and dismiss DUers on this thread. Is this a strategy that works for you in some way?

[stepnw1f]

36. Like a Script

Repeat, repeat, repeat... gotta catapult that propaganda....

[EFerrari]

38. Have to say, these threads have helped me shape me DU

experience. They've made it very easy.

[Igel]

48. It's 24 hours after your post,

but unless the article's changed, I have to question your reading.

"Israel’s Government has thrown its weight behind efforts by supporters to counter what it believes to be negative bias and a tide of pro-Arab propaganda."

Quoting another's beliefs hardly counts as approval or adopting them.

[Beacho]

44. Disengenuous Operatives have Free Speech

To spew their propaganda and those of us that see through it have Free Speech to call "Bullshit!".

See how it works, sparky?

BTW, this is a PRIVATE website, no one has 'free speech' here.

Get it?

[mogster]

45. Good observation

I didn't see that point.

This is ridiculous and Israel is shooting itself in the foot. Due to the delicate nature of the situation, this will ruin the debate and drive those that try to flesh out the picture - which always works in the favor of the topic being demonized (not to mention the debate, lol) - away from posting pro-Israeli information, and focus on the negative, to avoid being seen as a paid lackey for Israel. You probably all know what I mean.

[drm604]

4. We will no doubt be seeing this here soon,

if it's not here already. Watch for people all parroting the same talking points.

[IndianaGreen]

5. Here is the link to Israel's Megaphone internet tool

Israel's Foreign Ministry provides Free Internet Tool to online activists

Dear friends,

Many of us recognize the importance of the Internet as the new battleground for Israel's image. It's time to do it better, and coordinate our on-line efforts on behalf of Israel. An Israeli software company have developed a free, safe and useful tool for us - the Internet Megaphone.

Please go to www.giyus.org, download the Megaphone, and you will receive daily updates with instant links to important internet polls, problematic articles that require a talk back, etc.

We need 100,000 Megaphone users to make a difference. So, please distribute this mail to all Israel's supporters.

Do it now. For Israel.

Amir Gissin

Director Public Affairs (Hasbara) Department
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jerusalem

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article5239.shtml

Today's conflicts are won by public opinion.

Now is the time to be active and voice Israel's side to the world.

Join the effort in 3 easy steps:
Download and install Megaphone desktop tool
Receive desktop alerts on key articles and surveys
Click alerts to easily voice your opinion

Help us by reporting relevant articles and surveys.

http://www.giyus.org/

[saigon68]

6. THEY ARE BOILING UP HERE AS WE SPEAK

My take

This is a War between 2 religions

Each supported by Large patrons

Both warring parties are thugs and hoodlums


Some person calling me an asshole here won't change my mind.

[IndianaGreen]

7. But if we download the Megaphone tool

we will know their talking points at the same time they do!

[drm604]

11. That's actually a good idea.

We might also be able to learn from it and use similar techniques to get our own progressive (non middle-east related) messages out.

[anotherdrew]

30. DON'T DOWNLOAD IT | from what I hear, it's full of spyware

and is being pushed by one of or not the largest spammer in Israel

The whole thing COULD just be a come-on to install spyware, not sure if there really is a government tie-in or they just want to make people think there is.

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

9. Official "Stern Gang"...

... software? This is getting blatant. What next? Malware?

[54anickel]

10. Watch for their talking points - coming soon to a DU thread near you

http://forum.giyus.org/smf/index.php?PHPSESSID=492779f4c5a83793e90a4a87bfe6cb89&topic=10.0

Here's the top 50 list
http://www.beyondimages.info/

[IndianaGreen]

12. Beyond Images got great sound bites!

but they need to be updated for the Lebanon war!

Useful Soundbites….

Brief sentences which sum up key issues

Third Edition: 1 June 2005

… on Israel’s checkpoints and closures of the Palestinian territories

These checkpoints are not Israeli collective punishment. They are Palestinian collective self-punishment.

… on Israel 's security fence

Israel 's security fence is not the inevitable result of Israeli policies, but the inevitable result of Palestinian policies.

…. on Israel’s military measures

Palestinian violence is the cause of Israel’s military measures, not the result of those measures.

…. on the reoccupation of Palestinian towns

Far from achieving self-rule for the Palestinians, terrorism has provoked Israel into re-occupying the towns from which it withdrew in the 1990s.

http://www.beyondimages.info/

[jonnyblitz]

14. fortunately for us they can't control the flow of info and proof out

there that refutes their talking points listed in these downloadable "soundbite" word files. They may try but they can't blow up or silence ALL the witnesses.

[IndianaGreen]

8. Here is their forum

http://forums.giyus.org/smf/

Lurk, but don't touch!

[BeHereNow]

39. EEEWWWW- that is some nasty stuff going down in there!

Talk about a hate fest.

"KILL, KILL, KILL those brown people!"

They make the freeper board look like a Quaker meeting...

BHN

[alcibiades_mystery]

21. Soon?

That ship has sailed...

Why they need a coordinated government program for such a thing is a mystery. So many are infected with the ideology that it runs itself.

[semillama]

15. I admit to being disappointed by what the HL actually referred to.

I thought maybe Israel had developed a brigade of RoboJews or something...

(Disclaimer: "RoboJews" is a Joke referring to the Peter Weller movie "RoboCop" and not intended as a slam against non-cybernetic Semitic peoples.)

[BeHereNow]

37. LOL!!! "RoboJews..." Is that the ME version of a "Bushbot?"

Too funny, thanks for the laughter,
I need it today.
"RoboJews..."
ROTFLMAO!
Ice tea spews through nostrils...
BHN

[RCinBrooklyn]

16. Calling Israel "an international outlaw nation" is not "pro-Arab".

[IndianaGreen]

17. The fact is that the US , the UK, and Israel are aggressor nations

and they operate on the same lawless level as other aggressor nations. This is what happens when nations, and nations' leaders, place themselves about the law.

[adriennui]

27. it's a lie, maybe not pro-arab

more in keeping with stormfront and the KKK.

[ShockediSay]

20. seems like the NYTimes Forums was their online domain (IMHO) for years

I couldn't get a word in questioning Israeli policy w/out getting gang-jumped as anti-Semitic, bigoted &c (an opinion noted by bloggers at the Guardian of Great Britain.

Seems like the same was true w/ the Washington Post.


Got so bad at the Christian Science Monitor, they killed their online forum, last I looked

[IndianaGreen]

22. and Tom Friedman was one of their megaphones

that called for war in Iraq because Iraq was supporting terrorism against Israel, just as he now is calling for war in Iran and Syria for the same reasons he gave for war on Iraq.

And let's not forget that other megaphone for war, Judith Miller!

[cracksquirrel]

25. Huh?

One of "their" megaphones? Out to corrupt OUR media and OUR great society? This is all starting to sound eerily familiar.

[ShockediSay]

32. Guess whose lead Friedman was following - read'em & weep

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/08/18/world/main519037.shtml

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/1105-02.htm

http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/meast/12/25/israel.syria/

[uppityperson]

23. "WUJS this poll"

that is their acronym, from the article, watch for it. :rofl:

On a more serious note, of course this is happening and of course gvts get involved. Me, paranoid? Me, ridiculous, building up bogeymen, sad, pitiful? Don't worry about what you post on an anonymous forum? okay. Nice to get validation but bad to get validation. Thanks for the article.

[cracksquirrel]

24. Ah excellent!

Well, now instead of being called a freeper, a fascist, a zionazi, or a murder-appoligist; anyone with a position supportive or not inherantly critical of Israel can now be safely labled as just some Zionist Cybersoldier (lol!) on the payroll of the Jewish lobby just trying to spoil our precious bodily fluids with their propaganda.
On an ironic, note, here's a quote from Friedrich Nietzsche explaining why many of us aren't in lockstep with the anti-Israel crowd:
"At times one remains faithful to a cause only because its opponents do not cease to be insipid."

[IndianaGreen]

43. There is no Jewish Lobby and you know it!

There is an Israel Lobby, and there is a plethora of Christian fundies just dying to bring about the Second Coming of their Christ by cheering every bomb that Israel drops in the Lebanon.

[sendero]

29. All I can say is..

... "bring it on".

The truth speaks for itself, good luck with your spin, assholes.

[jonnyblitz]

33. "good luck with your spin, assholes!"

I agree, bring on your transparent LIES!! :thumbsup:

[MisterP]

31. **Ex**ter**mi**nate!!!**

http://artistic-insanity.net/song/daleksong.html
Or maybe the Chimp-God-Emperor (Bush's) Space Marine Chapter, the Banana Avengers

[YOY]

41. Would that make Cheney the Machine god of Mars?

n/t

[Radioactive]

34. now I know why there are so many supporters of this mass murder on here

ahhhh now I know why there are so many supporters of this mass murder on these boards. pro-arab propoganda???? hahaha

[jonnyblitz]

40. these racists imply we are supposed to have some knee jerk

hatred towards arabs ("pro-arab" is a bad thing automatically to them) just like they do. all you have to do is read what they write and they pretty much admit what they are without even trying to disguise it.