Soldiers named in 'Gaza holocaust' site
Website launched by Palestinian institute on second anniversary of Operation Cast Lead aims to 'expose the Zionist propaganda to the world'
The site's founders say its goal is to present all the Israel Defense Forces' "crimes" according to a number of profiles: The names and ranks of dozens of soldiers and officer documented in the Strip, still shots and videos, recorded testimonies and addresses.
The list of names on the site does not appear to include new names beyond those which have already been published in Arab forums. IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi tops the list along with Major-Generals Dan Harel, Eliezer Marom, Avi Mizrahi, Eden Atias, Elyezer Shkedy, IDF Spokesperson Avi Benayahu, and others.
'Protect history from fraud' (screen shot)
The organization behind the website is the "Ibdaa institute for research and training", which was founded in the Gaza Strip in January 2007. Although it seeks to present itself as apolitical and as a professional research institute analyzing strategic trends, it appears to be taking the same stand as the Hamas movement.
The chairman of the institute's board of directors, Muhammad al-Madhoun, told a press conference on Sunday that the site was the fruit of ongoing efforts, which included field activity by some 120 researchers who collected the information. The institute was also aided by human rights organizations, government ministries and institutes in the Strip.
According to Madhoun, the idea to set up the site was raised "immediately after the Zionist attack on the Gaza Strip".
"This encyclopedia aims to take part in reducing the legitimization of the occupation, as part of a system seeking to annul the moral and human legitimization of this entity," he said. "This encyclopedia will protect history from fraud and provide a platform of data through documents, sound and pictures. All this will help support the steadfast stand of the Palestinian people in Gaza."
The website states that one of its goals is "to expose to the world the faults of the Zionist propaganda, which says the occupation soldiers damaged the resistance" and "to support and provide the investigators with material."
The site also includes graphic images and footage of casualties, as well as testimonies from eyewitnesses, footage of IDF strikes and a film documenting the use of phosphorus. Other lists detail the names of people killed and injured in the Gaza Strip and mosques damaged during the operation.
The details presented on the site may not be accurate and may even be distorted, but it's hard to ignore the unusual investment in the site and the availability of such an extensive amount of information, compared to the lack of alternative information in Arabic and other languages on the Israeli side.
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