Friday, January 23, 2009

Al Jazeera Report on Isaeli-Palistinian Online Conflict


Al Jazeera's English website has posted an analysis of the Israeli-Palestinian cyber conflict and provides a good summary of the classic pattern on online escalation:

"With the internet becoming a battleground of ideas, the average person, armed with a keyboard and an internet connection, became a participant in the conflict.

"On December 27, 2008, Israel launched 'Operation Cast Lead' against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip. Within minutes of the first missile landing in Gaza, global reactions appeared online.

"During the first few days of the war, online discussions were restricted to war of words. Both sides engaged in heated debates and blamed each other for the fatal surge in military operations.

"As the discussions grew, attempts were then made by supporters of both sides to establish a coordinated response aimed at combatting [sic] the other side's propaganda."

Waging the web wars


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