The Israeli military censor usually tries to stay out of the headlines. It’s not always easy, as several times high-profile Israel-related stories have broken in the US media first, and aren’t “allowed” in Israeli papers for days after.
Those incidents are a constant reminder that in Israel, nothing even vaguely national security-related gets published in an Israeli paper without the military censor’s say-so. Today, the military censor is trying to extend that control even further, presenting “orders” to high-profile bloggers and Facebook users, demanding they be placed under the same control.
At least 30 Israelis have received such orders. Many, like Yossi Gurvitz, are outspoken critics of the Israeli government’s policy. Gurvitz says he will be pursuing legal options to get around having to pre-submit all his criticisms to the military censor and get permission before publishing.
The military censor insists that any webpage that presents itself as “news” counts as media and is therefore liable to submit to censorship. They insist that in the dozens of new orders, they have not yet issued any orders for anyone to remove any publications.
Not that anyone could report on it if they did.
Interesting a nation which claims to be the most moral in the universe apparently is also the most censored. Why would they feel the public is not capable of reading different views and making a decision on what they read. It would appear they believed a less informed citizen is the best. They cry about being a democracy. I guess this is why I cannot tell someone selling a load of old lies to read up on the topic. They probably have been subject to military censors.
The government of Israel is populated by control freaks even more extreme than the U.S. government is. I hope these bloggers find a way to flip them off without legal repercussions. For example, by posting under a pseudonym from a different country.
Down with criminal government enterprises!
Nailed it!!!