IDF Spokesperson's Unit

The IDF Spokesperson's Unit is a brigade within the Operations Branch of the Israel Defence Forces. Its mission is "to report on the accomplishments and activities of the IDF to the Israeli and international public, to nurture public confidence in the IDF, and to serve as the IDF's primary professional authority on matters of public relations and distribution of information to the public."

Operation Cast Lead

During Operation Cast Lead, Israel's invasion of Gaza in December 2008/January 2009, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit created a dedicated IDF blog and Youtube channel.

"The blogosphere and new media are another war zone," said Foreign Press Branch head Maj. Avital Leibovich. "We have to be relevant there," she said.

Her sentiment reflects a growing awareness in the Israeli government that part of the failure of the 2006 Lebanon campaign was Israel's lack of readiness for the intense media debate surrounding its operations. Since the beginning of the Gaza air strikes, Israeli politicians have been appearing regularly on the largest international news networks to defend the IDF.

Gaza Flotilla

On 31 May 2010, an IDF operation to intercept an aid flotilla on its way to the Gaza strip resulted in the deaths of at least 9 activists.

Dagger Photo

IDF Spokesperson's Unit photo carried by Haaretz, 31 May 2010

On the day the flotilla was seized, the Haaretz website carried a photo of a man with a dagger with the following caption:

An activist on board the Gaza flotilla holding a knife after Israel Navy commandos boarded their ship on May 31, 2010.

Photo by: Provided by IDF Spokesperson's Office

The photo appears to be of Muhammad Al-Hazmi, a Yemeni parliamentarian and flotilla participant, holding a traditional Janbiyah dagger. However, Palestinian-American activist Ali Abunimah pointed to a number of discrepancies, including the presence of daylight in the photo, which suggest that it was unlikely to have been taken after the flotilla had been boarded.

Al Qaeda press release

On 2 June 2010, the IDF spokesperson issued a press release headlined “Attackers of the IDF soldiers found to be Al Qaeda mercenaries.” It stated:

In a special meeting of the Security Cabinet it was disclosed that a group of 40 people on board the Mavi Marmara with no identification papers belong to Al Qaeda. The terrorists were equipped with bullet-proof vests, night vision goggles and weapons.

A later revised version of the press release, headlined "Attackers of the IDF Soldiers Found Without Identification Papers" made no mention of the Al Qaeda claim.

Purported Mavi Marmara radio exchange

On 4 June 2010, the unit released a purported recording of a radio exchange between the Israeli Navy and the Mavi Marmara, a Turkish ship taking part in a flotilla attempting to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza. The audio featured an Israeli radio operator being told "Shut up, go back to Auschwitz."

Supporters of the Flotilla alleged a number of discrepancies in the audio, suggesting a female voice heard in the clip may have come from a woman who was not aboard the Mavi Marmara, and that the audio of the IDF officer as similar to that featured in an earlier, innocuous, video.

The IDF spokesperson's blog carried a correction on 5 June 2010:

So to clarify: the audio was edited down to cut out periods of silence over the radio as well as incomprehensible comments so as to make it easier for people to listen to the exchange. We have now uploaded the entire segment of 5 minutes and 58 seconds in which the exchange took place and the comments were made.

This transmission had originally cited the Mavi Marmara ship as being the source of these remarks, however, due to an open channel, the specific ship or ships in the “Freedom Flotilla” responding to the Israeli Navy could not be identified. During radio transmissions between Israeli Navy and the ships of the “Free Gaza” Flotilla on 31 May 2010, the Israeli Navy ship attempts to make contact with the ‘Defne Y’ on channel 1-6. Other ships from the flotilla respond on the channel, without identifying themselves. At some point during the radio exchange the Israeli Navy is told by one of the ships to “shut up, go back to Auschwitz” (2:05) and “don’t forget 9-11″ (5:42).

However, Huwaida Arraf, the chair of the Free Gaza movement, identified herself as the female voice heard in the clip, and said the conversation did not take place on 31 May as stated by the IDF:

Reacting early Saturday afternoon, Arraf remarked, "I was by the radio the whole time there was any communication. Mine was the only boat in which I answered and not the captain and they all answered in a very professional manner." Arraf told Ma'an that while she might have spoken of having permission from the Gaza Port Authority on a previous attempt to break the blockade, she is certain that she did not say it on Monday morning. "When they radioed us, we were still 100 miles away," she explained.

People

• Brigadier General Avi Benayahu
• Major Jonathan Davis
• Major Avital Leibovich

Contact

• Blog http://idfspokesperson.com/
• YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/idfnadesk