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Israel Defense Forces IDF Uses YouTube, Facebook To Illustrate Hamas Terrorism In Gaza

Israel Defense Forces IDF Uses YouTube, Facebook To Illustrate Hamas Terrorism In Gaza

By Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency

Jerusalem ---- April 22, 2009 ...... The Israel Defense Forces IDF have just uploaded and released a video on YouTube describing with the use of INTEL and computer animation Hamas terrorist tactics used in Gaza.

This IDF video explains the background to the Israel Defense Forces Operation Cast Lead, specifically the terrorist tactics that Hamas employs. This YouTube video which is now being posted on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter shows how Hamas smuggles in weaponry in order to arm itself and how it employs the civilian population and infastructure in order to carry out terrorist attacks against Israel.

Hamas' use of human shields during Operation Cast Lead caused many civilian casualties.

Operation Cast Lead was the result of continued terror attacks by Hamas, three years after Israel and the IDF left Gaza.
Over 8,000 terror rockets had been fired into Israel towns and cities during these three years.

It was clear that Hamas was not interested in land, but rather saw the Jews of Israel as "infidels". This was and remains no different than how Iran, Hezbollah and al Qaeda in its Islamic Jihad (holy war) saw the Americans during 9/11, the British during the London underground bombings, those in Spain during the Madrid bombings, and those innocent civilians in Turkey, Egypt, France, Moscow and India who were attacked merely because they were not Muslims.

The IDF began its long-awaited attack on Hamas controlled Gaza at 11:30 AM Saturday, and according to initial reports managed to catch Hamas off-guard, after deliberately sending soldiers home on furloughs to create the impression that a military strike was not imminent.

The operation is codenamed "Cast Lead" – a phrase taken from a well known Chanukah song which refers to "cast-lead draydels."

On the first day of the IDF operation, at least 80 IAF aircraft, including both jets and helicopters, struck pre-selected targets in Gaza, reportedly dropping at least 100 bombs. According to Arab sources in Gaza, the death toll there is 205. Hamas sources predicted that the body count would reach 350.

Among the targets was a Hamas ceremony for graduates of a paramilitary course.

Gaza terror squads kept firing rockets at Israeli civilians. One of these rockets hit a home in Netivot, killing one civilian -- Beber Vaaknin, 58 -- and wounding six others.

Sources in the defense establishment said Defense Minister Ehud Barak instructed the Israel Defense Forces to prepare for the operation over six months before the Operation.

The IDF Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, recently approved and authorized the publication of the conclusions of five investigative teams assigned to investigate events related to the conduct of IDF soldiers during Operation Cast Lead. These investigations are supplementary investigations and are in addition to the investigations that take place following all IDF operations. Additional issues are also undergoing a process of verification or investigation at various levels within the IDF and the IDF aims to complete these investigations by June 2009.

The teams were headed by officers of the rank of Colonel and those who took part in the investigation were not a direct part of the chain of command in the operations that were in question. The teams were appointed by Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi.

Of the attack on the house of a Palestinian doctor, Izzeldeen Abuelaish, which killed three of his daughters, the IDF said soldiers had been targeting "suspicious figures" in the building and had urged the family to leave days earlier.

The Israel Defense Forces said its use of white phosphorus, which causes severe burns, was fully legal.

IDF investigators said no phosphorus weapons were used in built-up areas, in direct contradiction of groups such as Human Rights Watch, who said they were used unlawfully in densely-populated areas.

The IDF said it had probed seven incidents in which many civilians were reportedly harmed.

The IDF investigators said that Hamas "systematically used medical facilities, vehicles and uniforms as cover for terrorist operations," and that the group's military and political leaders operated from Gaza's main hospital.

Troops maintained "a high professional" level against "an enemy that aimed to terrorise Israeli civilians", the IDF said.

The Israel Defense Forces "operated in accordance with moral values and international laws of war", it said in a statement, and made "an enormous effort" to avoid harming uninvolved civilians. The IDF YouTube video illustrates these facts.

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Israel Prepares To Srike Iran

From The Times

April 18, 2009
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article6115903.ece
Posted by IsraelPr

Israel stands ready to bomb Iran's nuclear sites

Sheera Frenkel in Jerusalem

The Israel military is preparing itself to launch a massive aerial assault on Iran's nuclear facilities within days of being given the go-ahead by its new government.

Among the steps taken to ready Israel forces for what would be a risky raid requiring pinpoint aerial strikes are the acquisition of three Airborne Warning and Control (AWAC) aircraft and regional missions to simulate the attack.

Two nationwide civil defence drills will help to prepare the public for the retaliation that Israel could face.

“Israel wants to know that if its forces were given the green light they could strike at Iran in a matter of days, even hours. They are making preparations on every level for this eventuality. The message to Iran is that the threat is not just words,” one senior defence official told The Times.

Officials believe that Israel could be required to hit more than a dozen targets, including moving convoys. The sites include Natanz, where thousands of centrifuges produce enriched uranium; Esfahan, where 250 tonnes of gas is stored in tunnels; and Arak, where a heavy water reactor produces plutonium.

The distance from Israel to at least one of the sites is more than 870 miles, a distance that the Israeli force practised covering in a training exercise last year that involved F15 and F16 jets, helicopters and refuelling tankers.

The possible Israeli strike on Iran has drawn comparisons to its attack on the Osirak nuclear facility near Baghdad in 1981. That strike, which destroyed the facility in under 100 seconds, was completed without Israeli losses and checked Iraqi ambitions for a nuclear weapons programme.

“We would not make the threat [against Iran] without the force to back it. There has been a recent move, a number of on-the-ground preparations, that indicate Israel's willingness to act,” said another official from Israel's intelligence community.

He added that it was unlikely that Israel would carry out the attack without receiving at least tacit approval from America, which has struck a more reconciliatory tone in dealing with Iran under its new administration.

An Israeli attack on Iran would entail flying over Jordanian and Iraqi airspace, where US forces have a strong presence.

Ephraim Kam, the deputy director of the Institute for National Security Studies, said it was unlikely that the Americans would approve an attack.

“The American defence establishment is unsure that the operation will be successful. And the results of the operation would only delay Iran's programme by two to four years,” he said.

A visit by President Obama to Israel in June is expected to coincide with the national elections in Iran — timing that would allow the US Administration to re-evaluate diplomatic resolutions with Iran before hearing the Israeli position.

“Many of the leaks or statements made by Israeli leaders and military commanders are meant for deterrence. The message is that if [the international community] is unable to solve the problem they need to take into account that we will solve it our way,” Mr Kam said.

Among recent preparations by the airforce was the Israeli attack of a weapons convoy in Sudan bound for militants in the Gaza Strip.

“Sudan was practice for the Israeli forces on a long-range attack,” Ronen Bergman, the author of The Secret War with Iran, said. “They wanted to see how they handled the transfer of information, hitting a moving target ... In that sense it was a rehearsal.”

Israel has made public its intention to hold the largest-ever nationwide drill next month.

Colonel Hilik Sofer told Haaretz, a daily Israeli newspaper, that the drill would “train for a reality in which during war missiles can fall on any part of the country without warning ... We want the citizens to understand that war can happen tomorrow morning”.

Israel will conduct an exercise with US forces to test the ability of Arrow, its US-funded missile defence system. The exercise would test whether the system could intercept missiles launched at Israel.

“Israel has made it clear that it will not tolerate the threat of a nuclear Iran. According to Israeli Intelligence they will have the bomb within two years ... Once they have a bomb it will be too late, and Israel will have no choice to strike — with or without America,” an official from the Israeli Defence Ministry said.

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Tel Aviv Celebrates 100 Years As Israel PR Suffers

Tel Aviv Celebrates 100 Years As Israel PR Suffers

Photo: Israel News Agency / Leyden Communications (Israel)

By Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency

Tel Aviv --- April 5, 2009 ..... Hundreds of thousands of people poured in Yitzhak Rabin Square last night to celebrate 100th birthday of Tel Aviv. The centennial anniversary of Tel Aviv was highlighted by a free concert, professional singers, dancers, rappelling artists and a dazzling display of fireworks.

The festive evening celebration quickly became a frenzy of smiles and laughter as thousands of onlookers began dancing and singing in the streets.

And where most from Israel have become accustomed to the sound of harsh booms emanating from terror bombs and night skies being lit by Israel Defense Forces flares over the West Bank and Gaza, this sound and light show only embraced joy and peace. Following recent terror attacks, Israel security was on their highest alert, with thousands of police and security forces blanketing the area from ground, air and sea.

As the Israel News Agency approached Kikar Rabin we were stopped several times at a number of Israel Police and MAGAV security checkpoints set up within Tel Aviv. Once we arrived at Kikar Rabin, we quickly became a small part of a wide and diverse tapestry of Jewish people stretching for several blocks in all directions.

Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai greeted several VIP's including former Tel Aviv Mayor Shlomo Lahat (Cheech) and then kicked off an amazing spectacle of music. The Tel Aviv Philharmonic Orchestra played music by Strauss and Tchaikovsky as fireworks lit the sky. Behind the raised blue domed stage, the Tel Aviv City Hall came alive as the number 100 appeared as white fireworks sparkled from its walls..

The professional performances which took place atop a high standing stages included Dana International, Barry Sakharof, Miri Mesika, Mati Caspi, Shlomo Gronich, Danny Robas, Alona Daniel, and the Monica Sex band.

Hundreds of people enjoyed the show from nearby rooftops as the tenants below were provided with first row seats.

It was a diverse crowd of children, adults and the elderly who integrated into one colorful collage. As onlookers approached the area they were all given small colorful lights to place on their fingers. Thus the sea of onlookers became active participants in lighting up the very heart of Tel Aviv. The music was a a mix of classical, rock, opera, and pop music - something for everyone. Actors and actresses took the stage in clothes from the roaring Twenties reflecting on how life was like as Tel Aviv became a city as black and white images of old Tel Aviv were projected on the tan and white walls of nearby buildings. Trance and dance music followed the concert, creating the largest street party that Tel Aviv has ever seen.

These journalists were not given coffee. Instead were removed by the organizers
and not allowed to report on one of Israel's most historic and postive events. Photo: INA

It was a party by and for Israel. And this is where the organizers of the Tel Aviv 100 year celebration failed. The PR agency handling the centennial event did not have one public relations professional handling the international media. In fact, there was no press area. Many of the journalists from New York, London and Paris climbed a small two storey high ladder to join the production crew on a scaffold. Organizers asked them to get down as they were photographing and documenting this historic event. The 30 or so journalists simply ignored the yelling organizer. They had a job to do. They were in the right position to do it and they risked their lives to climb that steel ladder. The organizers claimed that one scaffold set up facing center stage was not strong enough to hold both the domestic and international press corps. So, the INA asks, why wasn't there a press area set up for film crews, photographers, reporters, and Internet news bloggers? Thirty minutes later two policeman arrived, climbing the ladder to the second floor of the scaffold and requested in a polite manner for all journalists to come down. Slowly the journalists followed the police request and by this time they had now secured the news and feature footage that they needed.

This lack of logistics and event marketing for the international media has long been an Achilles heal within Israel. The late former Prime Minister Golda Meir was famous for her statement that Israel does not need PR, but rather F-15's. Public opinion creates facts on the ground. It has a direct effect on both Israel and Palestinian lives. The Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Israel Defense Forces now finally realize this fact. These governmental bodies now have a few media professionals working in Jerusalem and aboard on salary including Noam Katz, Ronit Ben-Dor, Danny Seaman, Mark Regev, Amir Gissin, David Saranga and IDF Colonel Olivier Rafowicz.

Can one imagine the Mayor of New York, London, Moscow or Tokyo planning such an historic event without taking into consideration the international media?

Israel, whose image suffers from Islamic terror attacks and several wars, had a unique opportunity to show a positive and warm event to the world. Where were the invitations to international leaders to attend? Had they flown in for this historic Israel moment, it would have illustrated solidarity with the rest of the free, democratic world.

The organizers could say that they did not have the budget to address the international media. Which could be fact. But it is much more of a cultural flaw than an economic one. If no money was available they could have approached a number of professional commercial and non-profit organizations including The Israel Project, American Zionist Organization, the World Zionist Organization, United Jewish Communities, UK Jewish organizations, Charley Levine Communications and Leyden Communications (Israel) all of whom would have been pleased to contribute.

We need to alert the organizers of this critical failure.
As an Israeli, I could not have been prouder than to have been standing in Kikar Rabin last night, feasting my eyes upon thousands of other smiling Israelis. Jews who have and continue to say by their mere presence, that Israel is here to stay. No terror attack or war will ever create a doubt or fear among us to leave our historic and ancient homeland. We, who have come to this harsh land and turned it into a lush, green paradise, with modern skyscrapers, leading the world in hi-tech and medical science and who have cultivated miles of long, sandy beaches say never again as we remember the Holocaust from which we recently came. We are proud of being here. We are proud of our many commercial and humanitarian accomplishments. But where is the delivery system to get these positive images of Israel out. Should the foreign journalists remain in Gaza covering so called human rights violations and destroyed homes for which Hamas used as shields in a defensive war, or should we invite these journalists to sing and dance in Tel Aviv among hundreds of thousands?

The city has invested an unprecedented NIS 70 million towards several free events through the year. Can someone in the organizing committee set aside a 4,000 schekels or a 1,000 dollars for international PR?

Israel needs the tourism. Israel needs the investment.

If we can create a city - Tel Aviv - out of bare, dry sand dunes, surely we can send one or two news releases in English to the rest of the world.

The above news content was edited and SEO optimized in Israel for the Internet by the Leyden Communications Internet Marketing SEO Group - Israel, London, New York.

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Tel Aviv, Israel Celebrates 100 Years!

Thousands sing and dance at the Tel Aviv, Israel 100 Birthday Bash