Palestine: Prank Calling the IDF  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Along with missiles and bombs, Palestinians in Gaza are being bombarded with flyers, asking them to rat out Hamas militants and flee their homes.
Palestinian Jordanian Ali Dahmash wonders where can Gazans flee to. He writes:
On Saturday Israel threw flyers over civilians in Rafah in the south of the Gaza strip. The flyers warned Palestinians to flee their homes. I was wondering where those civilians can flee to. They have no shelters, their only shelters are UN schools, Hospitals, Mosques & Churches that already have been bombed. Israel also bombed the airport more than 6 years ago which is not accessible, the sea is blocked by Israeli battleships and the land borders have been blocked for 2 years now both by Israel and Egypt.
Simply Israel message was “We are coming to kill you!!”
Writing at American-Palestinian group blog KABOBfest, Will notes:
I have not made up mind as to whether the fliers and automated phone calls Israel's military uses to communicate with Gazans are for PR or Psychological Operations purposes. One thing is for sure, they are not to help any Palestinians.
He further adds:
Such communications feed the myth that the Israeli army is humane. The internet stinks from all the forums and discussion boards where pro-Israeli drones claim the flyers and calls are actually helpful, or that they show how far the IDF would go to prevent civilian casualties.
If anything, they only remind Gazans of the callous and ruthless nature of the Israeli regime and the utter and complete disregard it has had for the fate of the Palestinians.
One of the flyers, pictured above and obtained from Electronic Intifada, addresses the inhabitants of Gaza as follows:
“Assume responsibility for your fate! The throwers of rockets and the terrorist are a danger to you and your family. If you wish to provide assistance and help to your families and brothers in Gaza, all you need to do is call the number below to inform is about the location of rocket launchers and the terrorist gangs who have made of you hostages to their operations. The prevention of disaster is now in your hands.”
Upon learning of the flyer, Palestinian Haitham Sabbah also takes action into his own hands and initiates a campaign urging his readers to blitz the emails and phone numbers in the flyers asking Gazans to become informants with messages:
So, what can be done? Simply, I encourage everyone to call above mentioned number (from your land line, mobile phone, Skype, etc.) and say in Hebrew “Atem Poshim, tafsiku laharog palestinayim, Palestien Meshuchreret, Aza meshuchreret.”
The above is an oral Hebrew translation of: “You are Criminals. Stop Killing Palestinians. Free Palestine. Free Gaza.”
Alternatively, use the above mentioned email and attach one of the following photos or album link to show them the result of their war crimes in Gaza.
Meanwhile, an editor at the Palestinian Electronic Intifada took the challenge literally and actually called the number on the flyer – speaking in Arabic to an operative who identified himself as Abu Ibrahim.
Here's a transcript of part of the conversation from Electronic Intifada:
EI: Ok, let's talk … let me give you some of the information and then we'll talk some more. Do you have a pen?
Israeli officer: Yes. I have a pen and I'm writing.
EI I want to give you names of the biggest terrorist organizations, not just in Gaza, but in all Palestine.
Israeli officer: Ok, let's see
EI: Ok, the first one …
Israeli officer: You mean to tell me they're all from Hamas?
EI: All of them are people … you'll see. The first one, his name is Ehud Barak [Israeli minister of defense].
Israeli officer: Ehud Barak? By God there's no one like you …
EI: Second, Gabi Ashkenazi [Israeli army chief of staff]
Israeli officer: Do you know him?
To listen to the podcast, in Arabic, click here:
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Checkpoint Jerusalem‘s Dion Nissenbaum observes that listening to the phone conversation opens “an interesting window into the minds of the callers on both sides.”