GIYUS Targets Christian Science Monitor Message Board

Last week I wrote about GIYUS—the “online public diplomacy platform of Israel” as the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Word document) describes it—and the powerful role it can play in shaping the results of online polls and changing the direction of message board discussions.

Yesterday GIYUS sent out an alert about a forum on The  Christian Science Monitor‘s website.  GIYUS appears to have driven a lot of traffic to the discussion–which is titled “Israeli blockade of Gaza: What would you change?“–and has inundated the forum with pro-blockade comments.

Comments in favor of the blockade are consistently receiving “thumbs up” votes and those in opposition to the blockade, and the IDF’s lethal attack on the flotilla, are getting voted down.

As an example, here is the comment which is currently the most highly ranked.

“Johnny Gee” wrote:

I would stress the strongest support as possible for the beleaguered Israelis, who are threatened from every direction and by every mode, including missles [sic], suicide murderers, and of course arms from the sea. Remember, the Israelis are the canary in the coalmine – the real target of the Islamic fundamentalist murderers is the US, Europe, and the world.

“Sam from Oregon” didn’t have the same appeal to GIYUS users and has found his comment voted to the bottom of the thread.

Sam wrote:

I would eliminate all US financial and military support to Israel. Israel is not “too big to fail”, and if they can’t figure out a way to make nice with their neighbors, then they deserve to fail. The US habit of unconditional support for everything Israeli is the primary cause of middle east unrest. It’s time for US military adventures to come to an end. Bring home the troops, and use all the money for improving US infrastructure, education, and health care.

Eli Clifton

Eli Clifton reports on money in politics and US foreign policy. He is a co-founder of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. Eli previously reported for the American Independent News Network, ThinkProgress, and Inter Press Service.

SHOW 8 COMMENTS

8 Comments

  1. Quick – someone start a group to do the opposite. “GOYUS?”
    :-)

  2. It’s the 21st century, and way past time for these insane religious zealots to grow up and learn to live in peace with the rest of humanity. Denying children food, spreading cluster bomblets where they live and play, committing atrocities against civilians, and raising another generation to see their neighbors as less than human — all these are simply juvenile barbaric artifacts of their bronze age superstitions and grudges. Spreading evil and misery in the name of Us vs Them or imaginary deities just earns them the righteous disgust of the moral secular rational people of the world.

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