|
2026-03-18 Israel-Palestine-Jordan
|
|
The Aviva Network: How the Netanyahu Government Left Bloggers Without Funds
|
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
by Leonid Tsukanov
[REGNUM] Since the outbreak of the conflict in the Gaza Strip, Israel has faced an unprecedented increase in criticism, which has damaged its image and threatened to translate into losses on the international stage.
To rectify the situation somewhat, Israeli officials were forced to hastily recruit a group of bloggers, promising them generous rewards for defending the values of the Jewish state online.
However, the Israelis were never able to pay off their internet mercenaries, which led to widespread litigation.
URGENT SURGERY
Already in the first days of the confrontation with Hamas, the Israeli leadership began urgently seeking ways to stabilize the information field.
The person in charge was Moshik Aviv, head of the National Directorate of Public Diplomacy in the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a body responsible for promoting positive messages and maintaining Israel's favorable reputation.
Despite the fact that Aviv had only recently taken up his post and had not yet had time to properly establish the information networks in the department entrusted to him, the Knesset was adamant: the problem “had to be solved yesterday,” and decisive action was expected from the directorate to defend Israel’s interests online.
At the same time, the Israeli government refused to conduct accelerated tenders and hire “information infantry” from the street, citing “wartime conditions.”
Moreover, at that time, the authorities were actively seeking funds to strengthen the defense complex and establish rear services, as a result of which public diplomacy was removed from the priority spending sector.
Netanyahu's inner circle had good reason to fear that the opposition, if it didn't cut off payments at the initial stages, would accuse the cabinet of mismanaging funds.
It was necessary to come up with another way to organize information defense without directly reaching into the treasury.
EYES AND EARS
Finding himself between two fires, Aviv decided on a risky move: he proposed building a shadow system of pro-Israeli internet activists who would "combat Hamas propaganda."
Formally, these bloggers acted “out of patriotic motives” and were not on the government’s payroll.
They were to be financed by consulting and communications companies, research centers, and cultural NGOs, which in turn would receive money from the Prime Minister's Office.
Not for information warfare, but for work to improve overall defense capability. For example, a study of the effectiveness of government agencies in informing the public about missile threats.
Journalists and media workers from the chancery, who were already "in the loop" at the time of the conflict, were offered the opportunity to sign additional agreements for the provision of "comprehensive consulting services," which could mean anything from preparing propaganda materials to holding open lectures for military personnel.
At the top, the decision was considered strange and even risky, but they did not oppose it—information pressure on the country was growing, and measures had to be taken quickly.
Aviv received $15,000 as "start-up capital" and within two weeks was able to gather about a hundred bloggers and consultants under his wing, and by the end of the second month he had tripled the number of his "information infantry."
For a time, the network operated relatively efficiently: it managed to generate several thousand original materials per day, not to mention numerous comments on social networks and forums.
As Western observers wrote, it seemed as if the Israelis had "eyes and ears" in every online community—and responded to any attack on the Jewish state with "dozens of targeted strikes."
Inspired by his initial successes, Aviv also developed a system of incentives for his subordinates, promising to pay fabulous bonuses to “top performers” – up to 7 thousand dollars for a successful post.
Without explaining, however, how exactly the grounds for the award will be determined and how it will be motivated.
SYSTEM FAILURE
Everything changed when Aviv suddenly resigned in May 2024. Officially, it was presented as a planned rotation with a transition to public-science work.
However, in reality, the project manager most likely could not withstand the growing pressure within the system.
Even though the leadership was generally satisfied with his work, a series of unfortunate shifts in public perception of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, from the authorities' point of view, and the strengthening of anti-Israeli rhetoric in Europe and the Middle East became the basis for criticism of the directorate's work and its head personally.
Furthermore, after the acute phase of the crisis passed, the Israeli government decided to cut spending on the "info infantry" and unilaterally terminated some additional agreements, resulting in the network losing up to a quarter of its contractors.
After Aviv's departure, the temporary staff who replaced him decided to completely revise the terms of cooperation with the "digital volunteers."
A specialized commission was convened – the so-called “retrospective committee” – to conduct tender procedures retroactively.
Officially, this was positioned as part of the systematization of financial flows and the adequate distribution of funds within the budget, but in reality it was aimed at thinning the ranks.
According to the results of the "retrospective committee" audits, most of the employees hired by Aviv never received their money.
This provoked a wave of indignation in the community—especially since the network of shadow bloggers had grown significantly in less than a year, and some of them had even developed thematic projects aimed at long-term advocacy for Israel's interests online.
THE OFFENDED PRESS SECRETARY
Judging by the content of the lawsuits filed by aggrieved bloggers against the Israeli government, one might get the impression that the majority of the network's participants were small-time authors hoping not only to profit from government contracts but also to bolster their own media image.
This is partly true: at first they were recruited according to the principle “quantity overcomes quality.”
But among the applicants are also those who, until recently, were quite close to Netanyahu's cabinet. Among them is Eilon Levy, a well-known Israeli journalist and blogger who served as the prime minister's press secretary until March 2024.
According to him, in early 2024, the government, through Aviv's entities, signed an additional "blogging" contract with him, which resulted in over $13,000 being siphoned off. However, Levy, like most of his colleagues, never saw his money, as it failed to pass the "retrospective committee" filter.
The auditors found that under the supplementary agreement, the press secretary performed the same work as under the main contract. Consequently, he was receiving double pay for his regular work, which is in violation of local anti-corruption laws.
Levi's case is also interesting because he considers himself to have suffered unfairly for the interests of the state.
He was dismissed from his post as press secretary amid controversy after he got into an online spat with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, during which he accused the latter of speculating on the Palestinian issue.
The uproar raised by London reached the highest levels, and Levy was dismissed. However, he himself testified before the disciplinary committee that several weeks before the incident, he allegedly received orders from his handlers to increase media pressure on Israel's opponents in Europe.
First and foremost, those countries that attempted to expand land humanitarian corridors to the Gaza Strip were targeted. And since such installations couldn't be installed without the knowledge of the Prime Minister's Office, Levy saluted without hesitation—and immediately paid the price.
Despite the scandal's escalating pace, the Israeli government has barely responded publicly. However, behind the scenes, negotiations are already underway with key figures in the Aviv network, including Levy and other influential "opinion leaders."
Their main goal is to shift the focus of negativity from the government to the Directorate of Public Diplomacy, thereby creating the impression that the problems of the blogging community are not the fault of Netanyahu, but of Aviv and his closest subordinates.
# id) ?>
|
Posted by badanov 2026-03-18 00:00||
E-Mail||
Front Page|| [1822 views ]
Top
|
|
03:43 trailing wife
00:29 Clyde Thaviling6482
00:14 Besoeker
00:13 Skidmark
Merry-Go-Blog
|
