Security

Gaza War's New Front: Facebook

Israel, at first glance, seems to be dominating the information war over Gaza. The Israeli government has launched a campaign to dominate the blogosphere: Pro-Israel hackers are waging cyberwar against Hamas, and the Israeli military has kept the international press off the battlefield. But as the Financial Times notes, social networking site Facebook has become […]

Gaza_facebook Israel, at first glance, seems to be dominating the information war over Gaza. The Israeli government has launched a campaign to dominate the blogosphere: Pro-Israel hackers are waging cyberwar against Hamas, and the Israeli military has kept the international press off the battlefield.

But as the Financial Times notes, social networking site Facebook has become an important venue in the Arab world for protesting the Israeli campaign, as well as a potent fundraising tool for supporters of the Palestinian cause.

Correspondent Abeer Allam writes from Riyadh:

Arab governments often control public protests, leaving donations as one of the few means available to express support for the Palestinians and anger at the Israeli offensive.

Facebook has played a pivotal role, coordinating groups of young people who pray or donate money to the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees, Red Crescent Society and other relief organisations.

This Facebook page, for instance, includes links to the Palestine Red Crescent Society, Muslim Aid and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees. It also has a link to a Facebook page opposed to pro-Israeli hackers.

Of course, Israel has plenty of Facebook friends as well. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported today how Matt Freelander, a young Jewish Londoner, organized a pro-Israeli demonstration through Facebook; around 1,000 people showed up for the rally. Radio Netherlands notes another Facebook site that aims to round up a million supporters of Israel.

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