Monday, December 29, 2008

Israel's War On Hamas Now Includes YouTube! (Updated)

Could it be that finally Israel is catching on to the idea of PR?!

Check out IDFADESK, on YouTube, where you can view 9 videos that have so far been uploaded by the IDF. For the most part, they are videos demonstrating the care Israel has been taking for pinpoint precision in the bombing of Hamas terrorist targets in Gaza.

There is also a video showing that Israel has continued humanitarian aid to Gaza:


Perhaps equally unusual is that there is actually some balance in the way some are reporting Israel's operation in Gaza. The BBC has an article that actually has the headline: Israel strikes key Hamas offices, differentiating between Gaza as a whole and the actual target:
Israeli air raids have pounded the Gaza Strip for a third day, hitting key sites linked to militant group Hamas.

Gaza's interior ministry and Islamic University were the latest targets.

Hamas says 312 Palestinians have died since Saturday, of which the UN says 57 were civilians. In Israel, a second person was killed by a militant rocket.

Defence Minister Ehud Barak said Israel was not fighting the people of Gaza but was in "a war to the bitter end" with Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007.
Ed Morrissey notes:
So far, the IDF seems to have something it rarely receives: a decent shake from the global media. Perhaps even journalists have tired of Hamas and their terrorist activities on behalf of Iran and the mullahcracy.
Now there's a thought.

Then again, the media and the world in general seemed to cut Israel some slack at the beginning of it's war with Hizbollah as well. It is not a matter of world opinion at the beginning of such an operation, but rather how it holds after the daily impact of reports and pictures of casualties.

All the more reason why, in addition to good PR, Israel needs a relatively quick--and decisive--end to this operation.

UPDATE: Check out Confederate Yankee, who writes:
Several of the videos showing the Isreali Air Force hitting Hamas rocket launching sites with GBU-39 precision-guided bombs have been flagged by pro-Hamas (or at least anti-Israeli) users and momentarily removed for terms of use violations before being restored. Some have been removed and have not been restored. Expect this online battle to continue, and perhaps intensify.
He contrasts with the terrorists who stage pictures and limit access to journalists.

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