No Obama Jokes In The Israeli Military

Photo: A screenshot of an image uploaded to the Israeli soldier Sacha Dratwa’s Facebook account in September.

Israeli Military’s Twitter Warrior Forced to Retreat After ‘Obama Style’ Blackface Joke -- The Lede

The young Israeli officer who leads the campaign to cast his nation’s military in a positive light on social networks restricted access to his own Facebook account on Sunday, after a Lebanese blogger discovered that the soldier had uploaded an image of himself with mud or dark paint on his face captioned, “Obama style.”

The officer, Lt. Sacha Dratwa, a 26-year-old who emigrated to Israel from Belgium eight years ago, was identified last week by Tablet and Gawker as the man marshaling Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr and Pinterest to support and celebrate the actions of the Israel Defense Forces.

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My Comment: This soldier is dumb .... for someone who is knowledgeable on the power of social media, he was caught totally unaware on the impact that he could have in such a community. I will not be surprised to see him "reassigned" to different duties in the next few days/weeks.

Is Nothing Sacred Anymore?

Lindsey Stone Loses Her Job -- Hot Air

While many of us take time out today to be thankful for all of our blessings, there’s at least one household with a bit less to be thankful for. It’s being reported that on the day before Thanksgiving, Lindsey Stone and one of her colleagues were fired from their jobs. In case you somehow missed the story, Lindsey is the woman who managed to exercise her right to free speech in a manner so incredibly offensive that people across the nation took to social media demanding she be fired from her job. If your love of civil liberties has you feeling sorry for her, you might want to hold back on defending her here.

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Update: Lindsey Stone Inspires Facebook Rage With Distasteful Photo -- Soshable

My Comment: What's my take .... should she have lost her hob .... no. Did she do something stupid .... yes. End of story.

The Role Of Social Media In The Israeli - Gaza Conflict

Cyberwar And Social Media In The Gaza Conflict -- International Herald Tribune

LONDON — The grievances in the Gaza war may be as ancient as the history of a torn and tangled region that underpins one of the world’s most intractable disputes. But the weapons are spanking new, reflecting the nature of war in the cyber-era.

As I mention in my latest column for the IHT, both sides are trying to harness social networks to promote their rival versions of the unfolding and uneven battle between the conventional might of the Israel Defense Forces and the rocket-firing units of Hamas’s armed wing.

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More News On The Role That Cyberwar And Social media Plays In The Gaza Conflict

Israel and Hamas wage social media fight via social media platforms -- Washington Post/AP
Israel and Hamas battle on social media as well -- AP
Israel, Hamas Fight Gaza Conflict Online -- Voice of America
The fight for public opinion and warfare on the Web -- Haaretz
Psychological warfare on the digital battlefield -- Haaretz
Israel and Hamas' Social Media Battle Goes from Groundbreaking to Bizarre -- Forbes
When war is pre-packaged for sharing -- CNN
Israel and Gaza Battle Twitter War Over Rocket Attacks -- Daily Beast
Hamas Shoots Rockets At Tel Aviv, Tweeting Every Barrage -- Danger Room
Israel and Hamas wage social media fight via social media platforms -- AP
IDF vs. Hamas War Extends to Social Media -- PC Magazine
Israel and Hamas deploy Twitter feeds in media war -- The Guardian
Twitter and other social media now another front in Gaza attack -- L.A. Times
Israel's Defense Forces use social media to battle Hamas -- UPI
In Israel-Palestine Conflict, Social Media Gets 'Weaponized' -- Huffington Post/Reuters
Israel, Hamas Fight Twitter War -- Huffington Post
Israel wages Twitter war with Hamas over Gaza -- The Independent
Twitter War Erupts Between Israel and Hamas During Gaza Strikes -- ABC News
Israel Defence Forces and Hamas trade threats on Twitter -- CBC
Israel and Hamas wage online war of words -- France 24
In Israeli Attack on Hamas: Shock, Awe and Social Media -- New York Times
Israeli military puts Hamas on notice via Twitter -- The Hill
Israeli Military, Hamas Battle It Out In Reality -- And On Twitter -- Radio Free Europe
IDF-Hamas Gaza Twitter War: the Spin in Real Time -- The Wrap
Hamas, Israel and why social media like Twitter and Facebook are a new front in the war for Gaza -- Ian Burrell, The Independent
Analysis: Media war rages in Gaza -- Al Jazeera

Will Twitter Pull The Plug On Israel And Hamas?

Does The Israel-Hamas Internet War Violate Twitter's Terms of Service? -- The Atlantic

If so, a new way of war may soon meet its end.

We're now in day two of Israel's military offensive in Gaza. AllThingsD's Mike Isaac asks whether the IDF's swaggering taunt to Hamas in the wake of its opening airstrike represented a violation of Twitter's terms of service:

According to Twitter's rulebook, users are not permitted to "publish or post direct, specific threats of violence against others," nor are users allowed to use Twitter "for any unlawful purposes or in furtherance of illegal activities." That includes tweets both foreign and domestic, as Twitter's "international users agree to comply with all local laws regarding online conduct and acceptable content."

Facebook's ToS cites similar bylaws, telling users not to post content designed to incite violence or hate speech.

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My Comment: I would have to say yes .... but Twitter will not "pull the plug" in view of the fact that many civilians on both sides are using social media like Twitter to keep track on the well of each other. In short .... the social good overcomes any usage of Twitter as a propaganda tool by both sides.

The Twitter War Between Israel And Hamas

Hamas Shoots Rockets At Tel Aviv, Tweeting Every Barrage -- Danger Room

On day one of the fight between Israel and Hamas, the Israeli Defense Forces executed a top leader of the militant group — and took to Twitter and YouTube to brag about it. On day two, the Palestinian group hit back, launching its most sophisticated rockets and announcing every new barrage on social media.

The counteroffensive is a major change from the last time the IDF and Hamas battled, during 2009′s “Operation Cast Lead.” Then, the Palestinian militant movement used improvised rocket-launchers to dump crude rockets on the Israeli towns nearest to Gaza. Their information warfare campaign was similarly primitive. Today, Hamas is armed with relatively sophisticated Iranian Fajr-5 rockets, firing them at Israel’s largest city, and tweeting that the rockets are causing havoc in Tel Aviv.

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More News On The use Of Social Media Between Israel And Hamas

Israel and Hamas wage social media fight via social media platforms -- AP
Israel and Hamas deploy Twitter feeds in media war -- The Guardian
Twitter and other social media now another front in Gaza attack -- L.A. Times
Israel, Hamas Fight Twitter War -- Huffington Post
Israel wages Twitter war with Hamas over Gaza -- The Independent
Twitter War Erupts Between Israel and Hamas During Gaza Strikes -- ABC News
Israel Defence Forces and Hamas trade threats on Twitter -- CBC
Israel and Hamas wage online war of words -- France 24
In Israeli Attack on Hamas: Shock, Awe and Social Media -- New York Times
Israeli military puts Hamas on notice via Twitter -- The Hill
Israeli Military, Hamas Battle It Out In Reality -- And On Twitter -- Radio Free Europe
IDF-Hamas Gaza Twitter War: the Spin in Real Time -- The Wrap
Hamas, Israel and why social media like Twitter and Facebook are a new front in the war for Gaza -- Ian Burrell, The Independent