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Last update - 12:56 07/01/2009 Both sides fight Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the Internet By Maayan Cohen Tags: Israel, Hamas, Gaza  Alongside the battles raging in southern Israel, another war is being fought - a virtual one, over the Internet. Israeli and Palestinian propagandas disseminators have learned to make good use of Internet tools such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and blogs. Volunteers work alongside official public-relations entities, presenting their own positions and reporting from the field. Another battle front is the face-off between pro-Palestinian and Israeli hackers, with both sides seeking to inflict damage to the official Web sites of their respective enemy. One of the main tools used in the unofficial public relations campaign is Twitter, a service that allows surfers to write short updates - usually limited to 140 characters, which others can receive in a variety of ways, including by cellular telephone. Advertisement Chats among surfers - denunciators or supporters - from all over the world are conducted at a dizzying pace updated in real-time. Israel's Consul for Media and Public Affairs in New York, David Saranga, has even gone so far as to conduct a press conference via Twitter. Despite its innovation, the press conference drew some criticism. The New York Times, for instance, reported MSNBC newscaster Rachel Maddow as commenting sardonically on what she described as the Israeli government's attempt to explain, in 140 characters, a conflict on which entire books have been written and reporters struggle to describe in 2,000 words. The Palestinian side is also making use of Twitter's advantages. Among other things, Palestinians operate an account on Twitter named GazaNews, which submits reports from the field and directs users to Palestinian propaganda and anti-Israel video clips. Hacking for morale A few thousand Israeli Web sites have been hacked from a variety of countries including Morocco, Algeria, Lebanon, Iran and Turkey since the operation began in Gaza. The Labor Party's Web site and Debka are among the many Web sites hacked so far. Nor have Israelis remained idle. A variety of campaigns have been launched. One of these is presented on the Web site win-israel-help, which enables surfers to download a file dedicated to creating heavy traffic on Hamas Web sites - forcing them to shut down. "Most of the hacking is done by children," says Kfir Tuito of ComSecure, importers of the anti-virus NOD32. "They are trying to choke up the system, which is hard to do on large Web sites. There are also groups of professional hackers who try to break into databases and destroy them - and then the damage is more severe. They mainly try to break into news services, banks or government Web sites." Tuito's assessment is that hacker attacks will only increase. "The aim will be harassment, a battle for morale." Counting rocket attacks on Facebook The popular social network service Facebook is an excellent place to learn about the mood of Israeli surfers. Every day new groups consolidate, calling for action in support of or against the IDF's operations in Gaza. There is even an application called the "Qassam counter," in which surfers can use their "status" line to indicate when a rocket lands in Israel. At the same time, normal user activity continues to be conducted, where surfers hold discussions and post pictures, links to articles and invitations to activities such as demonstrations. 50,000 web commenters Giyus.org offers surfers a program that makes it easy for them to support Israeli on the Internet. The software tool called Megaphone offers users a desktop warning when articles or reviews about Israel are published on the Internet. Users can chose to view the article and post an Israel-supportive response. The Foreign Ministry, which works in cooperation with the not-for-profit organization, says that some 50,000 surfers have already downloaded the software. The Foreign Ministry has also recently asked Israeli surfers and bloggers to send it material for distribution. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Following Chavez Bolivia cuts ties with Israel, says it seeks war crimes charges. Who needs the Knesset? Arab parties: We'll establish an alternative Arab parliament.   1.   Cyber Wars stretch to Shoes - on ShoeIsrael.com 13:19  |  samramada 07/01/09   2.   Don`t Forget the Jewish Internet Defense Force! 18:01  |  Ashley Kennedy 07/01/09   3.   What is Israel hiding 05:15  |  John 08/01/09   4.   Israel`s not hiding anything 10:33  |  Fed Up 09/01/09

Read & React Bradley Burston: In Gaza's shadow: Obama's Inaugural message Send response Harel & Issacharoff: Egypt's Gaza truce plan is mostly bad for Hamas Responses: 46 U.S., Israel near deal aimed at halting Gaza arms smuggling Responses: 19 Gideon Levy: The IDF has no mercy for the children in Gaza nursery schools Responses: 47 U.S. may cut $1billion in loan guarantees to Israel over West Bank settlements Responses: 15 More Headlines 15:38 Hospital, UN facility hit in Hamas-IDF fighting in Gaza City 14:21 UN Chief: Success of Gaza truce deal depends on Israel's will 15:04 Israeli charged with attempting to spy on behalf of Iran 15:00 Livni urges Red Cross to press Hamas for access to Gilad Shalit 13:37 U.S., Israel near deal aimed at halting Gaza arms smuggling 12:23 ANALYSIS / Key to Israeli exit from Gaza rests with Egypt, U.S. 14:58 Hamas agrees in principle to Egypt offer for Gaza truce 12:22 ANALYSIS / Egypt's Gaza truce plan is mostly bad for Hamas 13:47 WATCH / Obama: We must engage Syria and Iran in Middle East peace efforts 15:02 Gaza militants fire 22 rockets at Israel, one hitting Gedera 12:00 Israelis receive SMS messages apparently from Hamas warning of `surprises` in Gaza 15:17 Unsung Israeli hero risks his life to save Gaza children 13:04 U.S. may cut $1 billion in loan guarantees to Israel over West Bank settlements 14:26 Protesters against Gaza op heckle Israeli ambassador at Holocaust ceremony in Poland 12:01 Poll shows most Israelis back IDF action in Gaza 13:46 Israel Foreign Ministry preparing for 'day after' IDF leaves Gaza 12:17 Venezuela: We cut ties with Israel over 'persecution of Palestinians' 14:47 The IDF has no mercy for the children in Gaza nursery schools 08:27 False rumors of Shalit release do not faze family and friends 09:25 Pro-Gaza demonstration in Ramallah canceled for a lack of protesters 09:36 Israeli Arab singer urged to step down from Eurovision, so as not to present 'false image' of coexistence 08:45 IDF helping coordinate aid for civilians in Gaza Strip 05:46 Operation Cast Lead taking toll on Israeli businesses overseas Previous Editions Select Day 14 jan 13 jan 12 jan 11 jan 09 jan 08 jan 07 jan 06 jan 05 jan 04 jan 02 jan 01 jan

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