When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

Israel

Israeli Hostages, Gag Orders And Social Media

The abduction of three young Israelis unfolded across the Internet, even as newspapers in Israel were barred from reporting it. What does social media mean for both democracy and security?

Gag orders vs. the digital age.
Gag orders vs. the digital age.
Yossi Gurvitz

TEL AVIV — First, some basic facts. We have absolutely no idea what happened Thursday night. All we know is that Friday morning the Israeli police rushed to issue a gag order about the possible news of an abduction of three young Israelis, after an avalanche of rumors spread on social networks and the WhatsApp mobile application.

Israeli media outlets were forced not to report on the case, even though everybody in the country knew something was going on. Therefore, the human brain — which cannot tolerate a state of emptiness — started to fill in the blanks, leading to an even more massive number of rumors.

The most incredible rumor was that the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) had successfully rescued the three boys in a heroic operation in an Arab village in the West Bank, killing five armed men and wounding two others.

This rumor went all the way to the WhatsApp list of military correspondents at major news outlets, accompanied by a message saying the official announcement by the Israeli military would soon follow. In the meantime, the IDF spokesman kept saying “No comment” as loud and clearly as he could.

Online boomerang

This kind of unraveling mess, which put the entire country in a complete frenzy, had not been seen since the vast gag order during the 2002 battle of Jenin. But today it shows how completely pointless it is to restrict information in our hyperconnected world.

Palestinian media outlets, meanwhile, reported Friday morning that a large number of Israeli military forces were conducting vast searches in the Hebron area for three abducted Israelis. They even published photos, which only surfaced in Israel a good 24 hours later. The photos were found by the Palestinians on Facebook posts of the worried families.

So if the objective of the gag order was to prevent the information from getting out to the Palestinians, it failed miserably. Besides, a Palestinian can just stick his head out of the window to see that something unusual is going on, and look it up on the Internet and get the whole picture in a matter of minutes.

On Friday, a new Facebook group appeared where people uploaded photos of themselves with a sign reading “Bring Back Our Boys.” It was an attempt to make a link to the abduction of the girls in Nigeria and the subsequent “Bring Back our Girls” campaign across social media outlets. In response, pro-Palestinian Internet users took the opportunity and published in a Facebook group photos of young Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

The conclusion we must draw then is that gag orders simply cannot exist anymore in the digital age. But it also raises another question — when you realize that the gag order was not meant for Palestinians, but was really directed at the Israeli people: Was it in fact an attempt to cover up a huge mistake?

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

Geopolitics

D.C. Or Beijing? Two High-Stakes Trips — And Taiwan's Divided Future On The Line

Two presidents of Taiwan, the current serving president, Tsai Ing-wen, and her predecessor, Ma Ying-jeou from the opposition Kuomintang party, are traveling in opposite directions these days. Taiwan must choose whom to follow.

Photo of Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen

Tsai Ing-wen, the President of Taiwan

Pierre Haski

-Analysis-

PARIS — Tsai Ing-wen, the President of Taiwan, is traveling to the United States today. Not on an official trip because Taiwan is not a state recognized by Washington, but in transit, en route to Central America, a strategy that allows her to pass through New York and California.

Ma Ying-jeou, a former president of Taiwan, arrived yesterday in Shanghai: he is making a 12-day visit at the invitation of the Chinese authorities at a time of high tension between China and the United States, particularly over the fate of Taiwan.

It would be difficult to make these two trips more contrasting, as both have the merit of summarizing at a glance the decisive political battle that is coming. Presidential and legislative elections will be held in January 2024 in Taiwan, which could well determine Beijing's attitude towards the island that China claims by all means, including force.

Keep reading...Show less

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

The latest