Israeli psychological warfare unit set up

1/25/2005 4:00:00 PM GMT

The Israeli army is set to activate a special psychological warfare unit (PWU) whose main role is to "disseminate disinformation" and "carefully manipulated information" about Iran and other countries in the Middle East deemed to be "hostile".

According to Israeli media sources, the unit, which was disbanded some five years ago, is staffed with dozens of mostly Arabic-speaking intelligence officers including Shin Beth operatives. Shin Beth is Israel's domestic intelligence service.

The PWU is to be headed by a veteran intelligence officer and will be mainly involved in "the battle for the consciousness".

Only last year the Israeli Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon spoke of the need to "sear into the consciousness of the Palestinians" that resistance to Israeli occupation was futile.

The Israeli army did attempt to put to effect Ya'alons recommendations through military incursions and the destruction of property belonging to Palestinians. The Jenin massacre in 2002 and the destruction of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip in 2003 were apparently part of Ya'alon's insistence of "searing into the consciousness of the Palestinians".

With the military incursions failing to have an 'effect' on the Palestinians, the PWU is being re-activated in order to conduct "awareness operations" that would influence Palestinian public opinion. These "awareness operations" would be conducted though propaganda and disinformation.

The unit is reportedly already been activated in the Gaza Strip where 'messages' are being spread that ordinary Palestinians are suffering because of the resistance and not because of the occupation and illegal Jewish settlements in the area.

Another step being conducted by the PWU is at the Mintar (Karni) Crossing between Gaza and Israel where posters saying "Closed because of Hamas" have been put up.

The objective behind the 'poster campaign' is so that Palestinians target their bitterness and anger at resistance groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad rather than at Israel or the Talmudic Jewish settlers.

Limited Effect

The Palestinian political analyst Hani al Masri believes that Israel's psychological war has a very limited effect on the Palestinians.

"I think most Palestinians, including myself, don't believe and even don't listen to the Israeli media. We know they are first-class liars. The continuation of the resistance and the strong public support it enjoys testifies to the mendacity of Israeli claims. Israeli propaganda won't succeed. Israeli criminal actions on the ground have a greater effect than any PR efforts."

Instead al Masri believes that what is actually happening is that it's the Israeli public who is being effected by the plight of the Palestinians.

"On the contrary, we have been able to sear into their consciousness that the occupation is futile and will have to come to an end and that there can be no peace and security for Israel as long as the occupation is not dismantled."

Israeli media

The PWU is said to have a definite "working relationship" with Israeli journalists and the media as a whole.

According to Amos Harel, the author of the PWU report, Israeli media did publish and circulate reports originating from the Israeli army propaganda department.

"Psychological warfare officers were in touch with Israeli journalists covering the Arab world, gave them translated articles from Arab paper (which were planted by the Israeli army) and pressed the Israeli reporters to publish the same news here," he says.

He points out that purpose of the disinformation was to strengthen the perception of an Iranian threat in Israeli public opinion.