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Last update - 07:14 19/01/2009
Israel recruits 'army of bloggers' to combat anti-Zionist Web sites
By Cnaan Liphshiz
Tags: Israel, anti-Semitism, blog 

The Immigrant Absorption Ministry announced on Sunday it was setting up an "army of bloggers," to be made up of Israelis who speak a second language, to represent Israel in "anti-Zionist blogs" in English, French, Spanish and German.

The program's first volunteer was Sandrine Pitousi, 31, from Kfar Maimon, situated five kilometers from Gaza. "I heard about the project over the radio and decided to join because I'm living in the middle of the conflict," she said.

Before hanging up the phone prematurely following a Color Red rocket alert, Pitousi, who immigrated to Israel from France in 1993, said she had some experience with public relations from managing a production company.

"During the war, we looked for a way to contribute to the effort," the ministry's director general, Erez Halfon, told Haaretz. "We turned to this enormous reservoir of more than a million people with a second mother tongue." Other languages in which bloggers are sought include Russian and Portuguese.

Halfon said volunteers who send the Absorption Ministry their contact details by e-mail, at media@moia.gov.il, will be registered according to language, and then passed on to the Foreign Ministry's media department, whose personnel will direct the volunteers to Web sites deemed "problematic."

Within 30 minutes of announcing the program, which was approved by the Foreign Ministry on Sunday, five volunteers were already in touch, Halfon said.

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      1.   Bloggers? 05:59  |  Hans 19/01/09
      2.   Liars and Murderers 06:05  |  Pablo B 19/01/09
      3.   Everyone please counter their work 06:16  |  Pablo B 19/01/09
      4.   Army first needs to know WHAT to fight to save Zionism 06:19  |  Ivar 19/01/09
      5.   To Pablo B # 3 - To counter this ...... 07:47  |  Josephus 19/01/09
      6.   Absorbers, fyi 07:55  |  David .Zukerman 19/01/09
      7.   To Ivar/Estonia 10:16  |  Cynthia 19/01/09
      8.   Cyber war was rather stupid and extreme 11:15  |  Samuel C. 19/01/09
      9.   Too many big holes in the Zionist Idology 11:49  |  GalileeHero 19/01/09
      10.   `army of bloggers` to combat anti-Zionist Web sites 12:20  |  John Q Public 19/01/09
      11.   LOL 15:47  |  jan 19/01/09
      12.   Yes, Jan - Don`t underestimate the blogsphere! 16:35  |  Manny Goldstein 19/01/09
      13.   Blogging Hot Air 17:01  |  Art 19/01/09
      14.   army of bloggers 17:05  |  hollingsworth 19/01/09
      15.   army of bloggers 03:06  |  rich 20/01/09
      16.   Nurmeburg II 03:27  |  David 20/01/09
      17.   The most problematic website: Haaretz 03:34  |  Steve 20/01/09
      18.   censorship 04:12  |  Urchin 20/01/09
      19.   army of bloggers 05:34  |  Trinidad Martinez 20/01/09
      20.   Israel Banned Reporters From the Gaza... 07:03  |  YesWeHaveNoBananas 20/01/09
      21.   What Would Einstein Say? 07:27  |  Mycos 20/01/09
      22.   Re: LOL 13:31  |  dont worry 20/01/09
      23.   a bit late... 14:25  |  Just Kelly 20/01/09
      24.   Israel will destroy itself 17:24  |  Ismull 20/01/09
      25.   It`s just propaganda 18:03  |  Weilliam 20/01/09
      26.   Godwin 18:10  |  JT 20/01/09
      27.   Israel recruits `army of bloggers` to combat anti-Zionist Web sit 21:42  |  julien 20/01/09
      28.   war for territory 22:38  |  pentagram 20/01/09
      29.   The war on Facebook 07:50  |  Sarah 21/01/09
      30.   Army Of Bloggers - Israel 19:44  |  Chris K. 21/01/09
      31.   War crimes 10:07  |  Toufik 26/01/09
      32.   Too bad they don`t pay 03:11  |  Love4Israel 29/01/09
      33.   Joining the army 14:26  |  Achu Newton-Fred As 20/03/09
      34.   Welcome to Ministry of PROPAGANDA! 21:53  |  Tony Silver 07/07/09
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