Nanjeanne
Nanjeanne's JournalGraphic Videos and Incitement: How the IDF Is Misleading Israelis on Telegram - from Haaretz
I had no idea! I sent text to my cousins in Israel asking them about this - and if they knew people who watched this channel but haven't heard back yet.
The IDF unit responsible for psychological warfare operations operates a Telegram channel called '72 Virgins – Uncensored,' which targets local audiences with 'exclusive content from the Gaza Strip'
The IDF Operations Directorate's Influencing Department, which is responsible for psychological warfare operations against the enemy and foreign audiences, operates a Telegram channel called 72 Virgins – Uncensored, which targets Israeli audiences and shows the bodies of Hamas terrorists with the promise of "shattering the terrorists' fantasy."
SNIP
The Israel Defense Forces denies that it operates the channel, but a senior military official confirmed to Haaretz that the army is responsible for operating it. "There is no reason for the IDF to conduct influence campaigns on Israeli citizens of Israel," said the official, who requested anonymity. "The messages there are problematic. It doesn't look like an awareness campaign of an army like the IDF, but more like talking points for [far-right rapper] The Shadow, and the fact that soldiers operate such a problematic page is egregious," he said.
The channel was created October 9, two days after the war began, as The Avengers. The next day the name was changed to Azazel, echoing the Hebrew pronunciation of "Gaza" and a word for hell, and then 72 Virgins – Uncensored. An October 11 post read: "Burning their mother ... You won't believe the video we got! You can hear the crunch of their bones.
SNIP
This isn't the first time that an IDF psychological warfare operation targeting an Israeli audience has been exposed. Haaretz revealed this year that during the 2021 war in the Gaza Strip, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit conducted a deceptive campaign against Israeli citizens aimed at boosting awareness of the IDF's attacks and their "cost" to the Palestinians. The army posted to fake social media accounts images of the widespread destruction in the Strip and called on followers to share "so they know we are retaliating big time." Officials in the spokesperson's unit admitted, after the operation was exposed, that they had "erred."
SNIP
In a statement, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said 72 Virgins is not operated on the IDF's behalf. "If there was any connection by soldiers or other parties connected to the IDF with the page or its operation, this was done without approval and without authority." However, as mentioned, a senior military official confirmed that the channel was systematically operated by IDF personnel.
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/security-aviation/2023-12-12/ty-article/.premium/graphic-videos-and-incitement-how-the-idf-is-misleading-israelis-on-telegram/0000018c-5ab5-df2f-adac-febd01c30000]
AND - FURTHER INFORMATION CONNECTING TO THIS INFORMATION CAMPAIGN:
Netanyahu's Office Gets Millions to Fund Info Campaigns in Israel's Updated Budget
Part of the funds will go to an in-house TV studio with its own broadcasting teams, which critics say will be state-controlled media, with the Public Diplomacy Ministry having been dismantled
The Prime Minister's Office's public diplomacy department is set to increase sharply under Israel's updated 2023 budget, with twice the budget of the recently shuttered Public Diplomacy Ministry.Read whole article here: https://archive.is/RRnqX#selection-1003.0-1029.88] It's from Haaretz but posted this way so nonsubscribers can read.
According to data provided by the Finance Ministry, the office will receive an additional 40 million shekels ($11 million) for the operation of national information. This includes 200,000 shekels a month for an in-house television studio under the authority of director Yossi Shelley, an activist in Likud, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's party.
In addition, the office will employ broadcasting teams and have its own broadcasting van – potentially allowing Netanyahu, a long-time critic of the press, to bypass the domestic media.
snip
Opposition lawmakers have slammed the budget provisions, with detractors tying the new studio to previous coalition efforts to shutter public broadcasting and arguing that the broadcasts would constitute state-controlled media.
"If you don't understand the difference between free media and mobilized media, do your homework," lawmaker Gilad Kariv of Labor declared. He said Netanyahu had learned from Hungarian president Viktor Orban, whose attacks on his country's independent press have sparked international criticism.
Day 6 Prayer to be added to Chanukah Candle Lighting - for those seeking peace
CANDLE 6: EIZEH HU GIBOR? WHO IS COURAGEOUS?In Pirkei Avot the sages asked “eizeh hu gibor? Who is courageous?” They answered with a quote from Proverbs: “One that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and One that rules his spirit more than one that takes a city (Proverbs 16:32).”
We ask today “who is courageous?” and we answer: the one who imagines a different way forward. May we honor the courage of all those working for an enduring and just peace. May we join in their struggle.
Courage
Adapted from the South African Anti-Apartheid Movement, sung as protesters were being taken to jail and as a way to learn people's’ names in the jail cells. Original song titled "Singing the Spirit Home" written by Australian/Scottish folk singer, Eric Bogle
Courage, my friends, you do not walk alone
We will, walk with you, and sing your spirit home
"Please Stop This War Against Us": Gaza Doctor Begs for World's Help as Hunger & Disease Spread
Watching this segment this morning - and brought to tears by this doctor's pleas.
Listen to Dr. Ahmed Moghrabi of Nasser Hospital . . .
https://www.democracynow.org/2023/12/11/gaza_hospitals?jwsource=cl]
Amy Goodman: We get an update from one of the few hospitals still operating in southern Gaza from Ahmed Moghrabi, a doctor at Nasser Hospital, who describes horrific conditions. “I’ve developed [a] psychological disorder,” says Moghrabi, who himself is barely surviving on little food and clean water. “Please stop this genocide against us. Stop this war. Please, please, I beg you.”
We also speak with Dr. Tarek Loubani, an emergency room medical doctor shot by the Israeli military in Gaza in 2018, about the arrests, killings and torture of his fellow medical workers by the Israeli military, and the enormous risk of disease as a consequence of the lack of essential aid and supplies available in the region. He predicts tens of thousands of deaths from starvation, dehydration and infectious disease will soon hit Gaza as Israel’s assault continues in the coming weeks.
Yes, I know there are Duers who deem Democracy Now anti-Israel . . . so I'll put that *disclaimer* here at the bottom. I find DN anti-Netanyahu and I'm fine with that bias! After all, Amy Goodman's Democracy Now is called "The War & Peace Report"
Day 5 Chanukah Prayer - For those celebrating and seeking peace for all.
From Rabbis for Ceasefire:
CANDLE 5: L’DOR VA-DOR: FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION
The ancient rabbis celebrated the miracle of light as the central miracle of the holiday, rather than the militarism of the Maccabees. They helped shape our tradition by uplifting a story of hope and faith over the valorization of militarism. We carry that same obligation today. May we honor our collective ancestors and fight for a better future for all of our children.
Ma’oz Tzur
13th century Hanukkah piyyut
Rock of Ages let our song
Praise your saving power
You amidst our raging foes
Were our sheltering tower Furious they assailed us
But Your arm availed us
And Your word broke their sword
When our own strength failed
חבשל האנ ךל ,יתעושי רוצ זועמ
חבזנ הדות םשו ,יתלפת תיב ןוכת.
חבנמה רצמ חבטמ ןיכת תעל.
חבזמה תכנח רומזמ רישב רומגא זא.
Ma'oz Tzur Yeshu'ati, lekha na'eh leshabe'ah.
Tikon beit tefilati, vesham toda nezabe'ah.
Le'et takhin matbe'ah mitzar hamnabe'ah.
Az egmor beshir mizmor hanukat hamizbe'ah.
*Forgive me - I have tried to make the Hebrew right paragraphed as it should be but whenever it is posted - it reverts to left.
DAY 4 Prayer - Human Dignity. Prayers to add to Chanukah prayers for those ceasefire inclined.
From Rabbis for Ceasefire:
We offer the following blessings & songs to add to your Chanukah candle lighting practice in addition to the traditional blessings. We have given a kavanah (intention) to reflect on for each night of the holiday- starting with the Shamash candle and first candle. Each night we add one more candle and one more intention for reflection and prayer.
CANDLE 4: B’TZELEM ELOHIM: HUMAN DIGNITY
We are all made b’tzelem elohim, in the image of God. Living into that truth is a core spiritual obligation of Judaism. That means we must treat all people with dignity. We witness the horror of the brutal siege on Gaza and the devastating humanitarian crisis happening before our eyes. We witness the mass graves in Gaza where people are not permitted dignity in death. We witness terrifying accounts of sexual violence against Israeli women and girls on October 7th along with other accounts of torture. We know that every human being deserves to live in dignity and in safety and that war crimes do not justify war crimes. May we see the divine in all human beings and may we fight for the dignity of all Palestinians and Israelis.
I am Open and I am Willing
by Holly Near
Chorus: I am open and I am willing. For to be hopeless would seem so strange.
It dishonors those who go before us. So lift me up to the light of change.
There is hurting in my family. There is sorrow in my town.
There is panic in the nation. There is wailing the whole world round. (Chorus)
May the children see more clearly. May the elders be more wise.
May the winds of change caress us. Even though it burns our eyes. (Chorus)
Give me a mighty oak to hold my confusion. Give me a desert to hold my fears.
Give me a sunset to hold my wonder. Give me an ocean to hold my tears. (Chorus)
*On a personal note, I am a huge fan of singer/songwriter Holly Near. This song appears on her album Show Up. It's filled with wonderful songs and if interested in political folk-pop - I highly recommend this album.
Netanyahu Must Be Politically Destroyed, or Israel Will Go Down With Him
From Haaretz by Alon Pinkus:
That Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hasn't resigned yet is an affront to decency. That not one member of his governing coalition of sycophants hasn't demanded that he do so – or done so themselves – is scientific proof that invertebrates can form a government. It is a sad group profile in cowardice.
Netanyahu's casual refusal to even consider the possibility is a cynical repudiation of integrity, and a callous disregard for the fundamental tenets of accountability and responsibility. More than anything, it is an insult to the Israeli public's intelligence. This nation deserves better. His arrogant, smirking promise that "all will be investigated after the war" is a typical yet no less revolting lie meant to stall, delay and deceive.
I know I've written this several times already, as did many others, but it bears repeating. It is like Cato the Elder said in the Roman Senate prior to the Third Punic War in the second century B.C.E.: Carthago delenda est (Carthage must be destroyed) – an abridged version of a sentence he used at the end of all his speeches.
Yes, we know that accountability and responsibility are alien terms to the Israeli premier. They have been alien to him all his political life, so no surprise there. Yes, we know that it's not in his political DNA. Yes, we know it's driven not just by character but by a toxic cocktail of his political vulnerabilities, the ongoing corruption trial and his delusions of grandeur that he is some historical figure placed by providence to save Israel and Western civilization from Islamo-fascism, and can't be bothered with earthly notions of failure and accountability.
Yes, we know he has no core ethics and values, and no moral compass, otherwise he would not have stood for election four times between 2019 and 2021 under criminal indictments. Yet still it is worth reiterating: Netanyahu Delenda est. Netanyahu must be politically destroyed, otherwise Israel will go down with him.
His responsibility for the October 7 debacle, the worst day in Israel's history, has been and will increasingly be dealt with extensively. The same applies for his management of the war, which was hitched to his political survival.
Read the whole article here to see Pinkus' descriptions of all of Netanyahu's foreign policy failures. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-12-10/ty-article/.premium/netanyahu-must-be-politically-destroyed-or-israel-will-go-down-with-him/0000018c-530f-db23-ad9f-7bdfeca10000]
https://archive.is/O23Pu]
DAY 3 Prayer - For my fellow Jews who, like I, long for a ceasefire and are wondering how to celebrate Chanukah
From Rabbis For Ceasefire: We offer the following blessings & songs to add to your Chanukah candle lighting practice in addition to the traditional blessings. We have given a kavanah (intention) to reflect on for each night of the holiday- starting with the Shamash candle and first candle. Each night we add one more candle and one more intention for reflection and prayer.
SHAMASH CANDLE: SHOMRIM: WE KEEP EACH OTHER SAFE
As antisemitism and islamophobia rise, may we find safety through solidarity. We light our candles in windows and other public places to proudly display our Jewish heritage and the Chanukah miracle. We also publicly display our commitment to solidarity and interdependence. May we turn again and again towards a vision of mutual safety and care.
Our Power by Rena Branson
We will not underestimate
Our power any longer—
We know that together, we are strong.
Like drops of water shape the rocks
As they rush down the falls,
We know that together, We are strong.
CANDLE 3
MATIR ASURIM: FREE THE CAPTIVE
Everyday in our liturgy we pray for all those who are bound to be set free. We are grateful to see the hostages who have been released coming home. We pray for their healing and for all who remain in captivity by Hamas to be released. We pray for the release of all those held unjustly in Israeli prisoners, including children held without trial. We pray for an end to the cycle of occupation and siege. May we work towards a future where all people are free and where no one suffers the horrors of captivity.
Healing Song by Kestrel Feiner-Homer
We sing you healing
We sing you care We sing you justice
We sing you prayer
הל אנ אפר אנ לא, הל אנ אפר אנ לא
El na refa na la, el na refa na la
Light is Returning by Charlie Murphy
Light is returning,
even though this is the darkest hour,
no one can hold back the dawn.
Day 2 Prayer - For my fellow Jews who, like I, long for a ceasefire and are wondering how to celebrate Chanukah
From Rabbis For Ceasefire
We offer the following blessings & songs to add to your Chanukah candle lighting practice in addition to the traditional blessings. We have given a kavanah (intention) to reflect on for each night of the holiday- starting with the Shamash candle and first candle. Each night we add one more candle and one more intention for reflection and prayer.
הכנח רנ קילדהל ונוצו ויתוצמב ונשדק רשא םלועה ךלמ וניהלא 'ה התא ךורב הזה ןמזב םהה םימיב וניתובאל םיסנ השעש םלועה ךלמ וניהלא 'ה התא ךורב הזה ןמזל ונעיגהו ונמיקו וניחהש םלועה ךלמ וניהלא 'ה התא ךורב
Bah-rookh ah-tah ah-doh-noi eh-loh-hay-noo meh-lekh hah-oh-lahm ah-sher ki-deh-shahnoo beh-mitz-voh-tahv veh-tzee-vah-noo leh-hahd-lik nayr kha-noo-kah
Bah-rookh ah-tah ah-doh-noi eh-loh-hay-noo meh-lekh hah-oh-lahm sheh-ah-sah nee-sim lah-ah-voh-tay-noo bah-yah-mim hah-haym biz-mahn hah-zeh
Bah-rookh ah-tah ah-doh-noi eh-loh-hay-noo meh-lekh hah-oh-lahm sheh-heh-kheh-yah-noo veh-kee-mah-noo ve-hig-ee-yah-noo liz-mahn hah-zeh
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the Chanukah light.
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the universe, who performed miracles for our forefathers in those days, at this time. Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.
CANDLE 2: PIKUACH NEFESH: PROTECT EVERY LIFE
Saving a life trumps all other Jewish laws.
Pikuach nefesh, the obligation to save lives, is about protecting lives now and in the future.
We believe that we cannot bomb our way to safety. The only path to lasting peace is to stop the cycle of violence by stopping this war and addressing the underlying conditions that dehumanize Palesitnians and that put both Palestinians and Israelis at risk.
May we recommit towards a world where every life is seen and treated as precious.
Healing Is Possible by Orion Johnstone
Healing is possible,
May it be so
Healing is happening,
May it be so
And we believe,
What we need most
Are the hearts of each other,
Right here
Transformation is possible…
Liberation is possible…
Ceasefire is possible
For my fellow Jews who, like I, long for a ceasefire and are wondering how to celebrate Chanukah . . . Day 1
From Rabbis For Ceasefire: Our Candle Lighting Companion provides daily kavanot, intentions, for each candle as well as a song for each day, offered with love and grief and determination.
SHAMASH CANDLE: SHOMRIM: WE KEEP EACH OTHER SAFE
As antisemitism and islamophobia rise, may we find safety through solidarity. We light our candles in windows and other public places to proudly display our Jewish heritage and the Chanukah miracle. We also publicly display our commitment to solidarity and interdependence. May we turn again and again towards a vision of mutual safety and care.
Our Power by Rena Branson
We will not underestimate
Our power any longer—
We know that together, we are strong.
Like drops of water shape the rocks
As they rush down the falls,
We know that together,
We are strong.
CANDLE 1: LO V’CHAYIL: CEASEFIRE
In the Haftarah we read on the first Shabbat of Chanukah we recite the words: lo v’chayil, lo v’koach, ki im b’ruchi. Not by might, not by power, but by spirit alone. We are embracing the rabbinic tradition that reminds us it is by ruach–by our spirit that we survive and thrive, not by militarism. Ceasefire means no more bombing of families and homes in Gaza. Ceasefire means all hostages must be released now. Ceasefire means we need immediate engagement by the international community toward a just and lasting peace in Israel/Palestine. Ceasefire is the only way to prevent more death and destruction. In this moment of tremendous fear and suffering, we believe there is no military solution. There is only a political one. May we commit ourselves to a path of life and away from the path of war and ongoing violence.
Not By Might by Debbie Friedman
Not by might
And not by power
But by spirit alone
Shall we all live in peace
The children sing
The children dream
And their tears may fall, but we’ll hear them call
And another song will rise
Another song will rise
Another song will rise!
If I Must Die, Let It Be A Tale. Prof Refaat al-Areer, Poet, Teacher, Father, Writer & Voice from Gaza - killed today
along with his whole family. His last poem posted in early November on X.
https://twitter.com/itranslate123/status/1719701312990830934?s=20]
I read Gaza Writes Back way back in 2014 - a book of stories by young writers in Gaza that was edited by Rafeet al-Areer. I began following his posts on X and listening to his interviews wherever they were done. He seemed kind, smart and brave and was a hero and a voice to many who were voiceless.
Rest In Peace.
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