Follow a 'live war' on Twitter which is now an 'instrument of WAR'

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
11/16/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

IDF tweeted success of Jabari assassination.

If you like war, then you're going to love Twitter. Israel and Hamas have engaged in a conflict in cyberspace that in some ways parallels the actual conflict going on outside. Both the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) and Hamas are live tweeting the war, as it happens.

The IDF tweeted this image after the strike that killed Ahmed Jabari.

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TEL AVIV, ISRAEL (Catholic Online) - Since Wednesday, the public has been following the conflict between the two sides, as it unfolds, in real time. Beginning with the killing of Ahmed Jabari, the Hamas military commander, the IDF sent out his picture, tinted red and stamped with the word "eliminated."

This may be the first time in recorded history that a full-scale military conflict has been tweeted in real time. Now interested bystanders can literally get live updates about the war during their morning commute, throughout their workday, and even as they use the restroom.

Each side something happens, a tweet is posted. For example:

Alqassam Brigades @AlqassamBrigade #Israel's military still targeting civilians in #Gaza kills a child and fourty others #hamas #GazaUnderAttack #Egypt

And this from the IDF:

IDF @IDFSpokesperson We recommend that no Hamas operatives, whether low level or senior leaders, show their faces above ground in the days ahead.

Twitter has already seen use over the past few years as a tool for activism. Arab Spring demonstrations were routinely organized via Twitter. Among the factors which makes this unique however, is the IDF's use of the application to tell its side of the story.

People on the ground are also posting their experience of the conflict. These tweets often link to images which show the bodies of those killed or wounded by the ongoing strikes. Such images have had a chilling effect on those who might otherwise support military conflict.

The graphic images are a reminder for those amused by the tweets that the war in Gaza isn't just a war of words - it is a real war, with real human consequences. And therein may lie the true value of Twitter as it bring reality home to all and pushes rational people towards peace.

� 2012, Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.

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Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Twitter, Israel, Hamas, gaza, war

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1 - 1 of 1 Comments

Paul-Emile Leray
7 months ago
If everyone refuses to fight, then those who have that lust for blood inside them are forced to face who? Their own inner demons. And that, people, is much more work than looking OUTSIDE for the enemy. Inner purification, first. Then, outer. The well must be filled with water, first. Then, we may see water coming out of the taps. PEACE is for the strong. WARS? For the weak. For the ignorants. PEACE? If your leaders can not dialogue in peace, resulting in peace, they are not great leaders. Great leaders know how to dialogue in peace. And if you are dealing with an idiot or ignoramous, who is incapable of dialogue, then let the enemy have a dialogue with himself or with a tree. Perhaps, with a stone. Maybe, a rabbit. Or, a skunk. Eventually, if he is sane, he will realize it is futile to debate with sane people. He might then enter into dialogue. With who? Jesus. Then, eventually with himself. Then, with others. And after he is sane, see what happens by looking at how the dynamics and behaviors were between Jesus and the Pharisees for example. When the cult-ure is insane, the sane one then has to often simply continue speaking truth peacefully while expecting to be ridiculed. It is the nature of truth that it often separates itself from the crowd and truth often gets laughed at, especially in the beginning, and eventually the numbers rise towards sanity as people become enlightened and aware. With technology, in this day and age, it can be used as a great vehicle towards the collective rise in consciousness and awareness and done so peacefully. The era of war is no longer cool. There is NO REASON for it, other than ignorance, greed, stupidity, selfishness, and everything that is sin. War? For wimps with little wisdom! Help your leaders be great, by refusing to fight. Then? Then, they'll have to really get to work in how to build a PEACEFUL middle east. With wars, the common people are giving the leaders an excuse to never get beyond war. It's one big diversion tactic. The good guys and bad guys. Who are they? Make your leaders work. PEACE is a lot more work than WAR. Any FOOL can go to war and keep going to war, which explains why there are so many.
Paul-Emile Leray

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