New Media in Israel

This issue of the Newsletter covers the period 08-11 February 2018. On Saturday, Israeli social media networks were preoccupied with the security escalation on Israel’s northern front. Just before Saturday noon, Israel launched airstrikes on several locations in Syria. The Syrian army shot down an Israeli F-16 fighter jet, leaving the crew with injuries. Prior to the attack on Syria, the Israeli air force brought down a reportedly Iranian reconnaissance plane, which had crossed Israel’s airspace. Since Saturday, this issue has engrossed Israeli audiovisual

media. Some social media activists accused Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, of seeking an urgent military response in order to export his internal crises. Others believed that the rapid response involved diplomatic messages sent earlier to Washington and Moscow, stating that Israel did not wish to escalate the situation. This was an Israeli attempt to defuse the tension and strengthen Israel’s defence system.

Earlier, Israeli media platforms had been taken up by the statements made by Roni Alsheikh, Israeli Police Inspect General. According to Alsheikh, “influential people” used private detectives to inquire about police officers, who investigate corruption charges against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The latter launched an unprecedented attack on Alsheikh, considering his statements as “weird and lies.”