I remember breathing a sigh of relief last week as I heard the news about the ceasefire. But that feeling was immediately followed by despair, knowing that nothing has changed and nothing will. I think that feeling really hit me hard after watching this item by Shai Gal, on Channel 2, last Friday. It actually brought a lump to my throat. Because the "operation" is over, the politicians are all back in election-mode, but on the streets, the hatred runs so deep. So deep, it makes you wonder how anyone, anywhere in this land, can be optimistic about the future.…

Israeli top model Bar Refaeli, whose every move, shmooze, instagram and tweet is reported extensively in Israeli media, got herself in a bit of a jam when one of her posts on Twitter didn’t seem to meet the criteria demanded by the masses who support the assault on Gaza. Refaeli tweeted on Nov 17: The response was quick and lethal (almost like a bird of "pray", which is how I suppose Refaeli would spell it (sorry Bar, I had to...)). She was bombarded on Twitter, and the mainstream media picked up on it, too [Heb]. She was even hit by…

Since the assault on Gaza began, Israeli TV has been covering events (at least on the Israeli side) almost 24/7. The Channel 2 studio is the one most watched, with generals, experts, analysts and politicians having a say. Yesterday they had their leading military analyst Roni Daniel reporting, just as initial reports about the IDF bombing a house that killed 11 people inside. Daniel is somewhat of an IDF spokesman. He doesn’t even attempt to report objectively, and at times voices his disgust with how the army is acting, usually by not using enough brute force to his liking. Which…

Using a multi-pronged strategy, the army spokesperson's office launched a full social media assault via YouTube, Flickr, Facebook and Twitter, with the latter in English, Hebrew, Arabic, French and Spanish. No word yet on the tumblr blog, though. In what is possibly a social media precedent, the Israeli army spokesperson's office (@idfspokesperson) today announced a military action against Gaza — on Twitter. This came shortly after the IDF announced — again on Twitter — that that the Israeli Air Force had assassinated senior Hamas operative Hamas military chief Ahmed al-Jaabari. The responses came in immediately, from various sources and in…