Israeli Government uses PsyOps on Settlers
This week (January 25, 2005) the Israeli PsyOps division was reassembled after being largely dormant for five years.14
– Amos Harel, Haaretz Military Correspondent
PsyOps or Psychological Warfare Operations1 are units of the military2 designed to swing public opinion. You can think of them as Public Relations persons for the Military.3 They are similar to commercial and political “spin doctors”. Political “spin doctors” put a ‘spin’ on media events to show their product or political agenda in the most positive light.
Where PsyOps differ, however, is if the current events are insufficient for their needs they are prepared to create their own ‘events’. Special agents known as ‘provocateurs’ are trained to blend in with the crowd, dress as civilians, and show up at carefully coordinated times with the camera crews to create a media ‘happening’.
The last time Israel was assumed to have organized a PsyOps unit was to help sell the Oslo peace plan to the general public. The bold plan put forth, for the first time, a two state solution for the Mideast conflict. It was a wonderful plan to lead to lasting peace in the region. Former Prime Minister Shimon Peres envisioned economic prosperity for all, even to the point where Israel might become a member of its arch enemy, the Arab League.4
This plan went against years of Israeli government policy and public opinion. It was a hard sell. It faced two major obstacles. First, the promised ‘peace and understanding’ with the Palestinians was never realized. Second, because approximately 10% of the Israeli population lives over the green line,5 a significant percentage of these people would have to be moved.
The Israeli Government tried its best to put a good face on the Oslo agreement, and among other things assembled a group of the best and brightest in Israeli Public Relations (PR) to work as a branch of the military “PsyOps”.
Their first task was to deal with “no promised peace”. Israel fully expected that by withdrawing from Lebanon, allowing the creation of a self governing Palestinian Authority with its own police and security forces, and giving it full control of 98% of the Palestinian population — it would ‘shock the Arab world’ into taking a new, positive view of the Israel. The Palestinians would be happy, Europe and the United Nations would cease to condemn Israel, and Israel would be on the road to living side by side with a friendly Palestinian state. But this didn’t happen. Suicide bombings began to occur monthly and drive-by shootings increased to almost daily frequency. Prime Minister Barak who wanted to give 25%, 33%, 50%, 80% and lastly 95%.6 of the West Bank and Gaza was viciously maligned by the Arab press – more so than any previous Israeli PM. European anti-Israel sentiment reached a zenith, and antisemitism began to reappear after being dormant for years. Things weren’t going as planned. So then Prime Minister Rabin, respun terrorist victims as ‘sacrifices for peace’. Terrorist attacks went unreported or explained away. Terror victims were minimally interviewed on the local news, and never on the international news. The head of the Palestinian Authority, Arafat was made to look a peace loving leader who was diligently fighting terrorism. A desperate Israel turned a blind eye to the ‘education of hatred’ and glorification of suicide bombers rampant in the Palestinian schools7 and media8.
The second task was to deal with ‘labeling’ the segment of Israeli population which would be need to be relocated as ‘outside the national consensus’. The West Bank and Gaza ‘settlers’ became ‘opponents of peace’, ‘extremists’, and for merely holding on to what had been Israeli government policy for years, they were labeled ‘dangerous radicals’. But names weren’t enough, actions were needed. In one highly publicized event, Israeli secret agent and provocateur, Avishai Raviv, brought in Channel 2 news to film a faked ‘secret swearing in ceremony’ of a imaginary settler terrorist organization “Eyal”.9 Raviv was also instrumental in printing and distributing posters of PM Rabin in a Nazi uniform.10 Raviv looked and acted like a settler, and the public outcry against the settlers reached unprecedented proportions. The truth is we would never have known that one of the most extreme settlers was really an Israeli secret agent if he hadn’t become a good friend of Yigal Amir. This is the same Yigal Amir who assassinated PM Yitzak Rabin. Although Raviv originally denied under oath that he was a secret agent, and the government disclaimed any possible linkage between Raviv’s incitement and Amir’s actions, the Israeli public demanded answers about their connection. The Shamgar Commission was established and determined publicly that Raviv was indeed an agent and that he had been involved in staging a series of fake ‘ultra rightwing’ extremist actions. Charges were brought against Raviv, but in a closed door court session, and under the guise of state security, all charges were eventually dropped. But much worse than that, the effect of government sponsored ‘spin’ against a segment of the Israeli population was never measured or explored, and the Israeli public was left with the impression that ‘all settlers are extremists’.
Even after the Rabin assassination, the PsyOps continued their work. It was assumed by many that the “Kill Barak” website.11 was a PsyOps operation to further alienate the public against anyone opposed to advancing the Oslo accords. It appears that the same webmaster also ran a discussion group at webseers.com12 where for the first time all sorts of ‘anonymous’ information appeared creating a bizarre conspiracy theory blaming the Rabin assassination on pro-Olso politicians, the Council for Foreign Relations and UFOs. This conspiracy theory (without the UFOs) gained a lot of attention in the Israeli media and led the Israeli public to think that people opposed to Oslo are nuts. When this discussion group went offline during Israeli elections, it was assumed that there was a connection. It is against Israeli law for a government organization to influence elections, so several discussion group members speculated that the PsyOps had taken the discussion group down so that it not appear that they were directly affecting election results. We don’t know. We probably will never know.
After the Olso agreement turned into the Olso war, there was little indication of PsyOps activity. Israeli anathematized Arafat. The official channels began to complain about incitement in Palestinian schools and media. The world began to see and hear about terrorist victims.13
But when the PM Ariel Sharon resurrected the spirit of Oslo (which is basically an Israeli retreat) in the form of his policy of ‘Disengagement’, he once again hit a potentially hard sell with the Israeli public. Normally when a country redraws its borders, the residents remain where they are. In a bold step, Sharon insists that the Jewish residents of Gaza and portions of the West Bank be expelled. He has even threatened to use military force against Israeli civilians who wish to remain in their homes in Gaza and the West Bank. New legislation requiring up to three years in prison for anyone who resists evacuation is being pushed through the Knesset. Sharon has claimed that by the end of the year 2005, “Gaza will be free of Jews” – a phrase that upset a portion of the Israeli public being reminiscent of phrases used during WWII. As time past, Sharon hit more and more resistance to his policies.
This week (January 25, 2005) the PsyOps division was reassembled after being largely dormant for five years.14 When I hear that there is a “truce in Gaza” and “absolute quiet” from the Government and Israeli Media, yet I see from the local news that the mortar attacks and bombings are actually still continuing15 — it seems to me the PsyOps and spin doctors are hard at work. When several individual provocateurs (supposably Israeli settlers from Gaza) slash tires and throw rocks at Palestinian Police who sent to keep quiet in the area AND the next day the Israeli papers run the headlines “Settlers destroy peace and quiet in Gaza”, as if the settlers are somehow to blame for the subsequent mortar attacks and shellings — more PsyOps. When the government decides to evict two families and destroy two caravans in the middle of ten year old village in Yitzhar on the West Bank, provoking a scuffle with the residents AND leading to headlines of “Extremist settlers attack Police and Army” — It appears to me and many others that the Israeli government staged an event to further its policies. I am outraged to think of the Israeli government using PsyOps on its own population, and demand a full and complete inquiry.
It is the nature of secret services that we cannot know the full extent of their activities. But Israeli Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein hinted at its scope when he tried to suppress16 documents attesting to Avishai Raviv role17 as a government paid agent provocateur against its own citizens. He said if the public knew [the truth about the Government actions] it would be a grave danger to public security, faith in the government, and public order.
From EretzYisroel.org, here.