IDF Spokesperson's Unit
Encyclopedia
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
Operations Directorate
Israeli Operations Directorate
The Israeli Operations Directorate is a branch in the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, established in 1999, and alongside the regional commands, the Air Force and Sea corps and General Staff directorates, is responsible in planning for the exercising of military force...
, responsible for information policy and media relations. The unit is led by the IDF Spokesperson, a brigadier general and member of the General Staff
Israeli General Staff
The Israeli General Staff , abbreviated Matkal , is the supreme command of the Israel Defense Forces. It is based in the Kirya compound in Tel Aviv.-Members:...
, and by the Deputy Spokesperson, a colonel. The current Spokesperson is Brig. Gen. Yoav "Poli" Mordechai
Yoav Mordechai
Yoav Mordechai has been serving as the IDF Spokesperson since April 7, 2011.Mordechai was recruited to the IDF in 1982 and served as a warrior and an officer in the 51st Battalion of the Golani Brigade. Then he served in the Research Department in the Intelligence Directorate, and in an...
.
Overview
- The IDF Spokesperson's Unit was founded in 1948 with the creation of the State of Israel and the Israel Defense ForcesIsrael Defense ForcesThe Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
. According to the unit's mission statement:
-
- The IDF Spokesperson's Unit was established as the liaison between the IDF and the domestic and foreign media and general public. The unit performs a variety of functions, including serving as the spokesperson for the IDF to domestic and foreign media, developing and implementing IDF public relations policies, disseminating military related information to the public, instructing IDF personnel in matters pertaining to public relations, and developing relationships with media outlets and accompanying them to military events.
- The Spokesperson's Unit is headed by a Brigadier General and reports to the IDF's Operations Directorate. It is also represented on the IDF General Staff Forum and is directly subordinate to the Chief of the General Staff. The unit services some 500 media outlets and 2500 journalists and civilian agents, addressing over 2000 inquiries a month.
- By charter, the unit is forbidden from engaging in Psychological WarfarePsychological warfarePsychological warfare , or the basic aspects of modern psychological operations , have been known by many other names or terms, including Psy Ops, Political Warfare, “Hearts and Minds,” and Propaganda...
and from the dissemination of falsified information.
History
The first IDF Spokesman was Lt. Col. Moshe Pearlman, a journalist and immigrant from BritainUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
who was appointed in 1948 with the establishment of the State. After the first several years of activity, the IDF Spokesperson's office was upgraded to unit status, under the authority of the Military Intelligence Directorate of the IDF. It was further upgraded to a full brigade in 1973.
In 1979, Brigadier General Yaakov Even opened the film and photography departments in the IDF Spokesperson's Unit which in turn opened the first International School for Combat Journalism and Photography in 2007.
During the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
in the 1990s, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit was repositioned to directly report to the IDF Chief of Staff. The head of the unit at the time, Brig. Gen. Nachman Shai, changed the unit's uniform tag to the one it has today. It was later placed under the Operations Directorate during changes to the army made in 2000. In the year 2006, the Chief of Staff concentrated the Spokesperson's Unit as the professional military authority in matters of public relations. Within this concentrated framework, new branches, fields, and positions were opened within the unit.
Despite its presence on the front lines since 1948, the unit has only suffered one combat fatality, Sergeant Lior Ziv, a photographer who was killed during military operations in 2003.
Leaders of the Spokesperson's Unit
- 1948–1952: Lt. Col. Moshe PearlmanMoshe Pearlmanthumb|rightMoshe Pearlman was an Israeli writer.- Biography :He was born in England and his original name was Morris Perlman...
- 1952–1953: Lt. Col. Amindav Fry
- 1953–1955: Col. Nahman Karni
- 1955–1957: Col. Nehemiah Brosh
- 1957–1959: Lt. Col. Shaul Ramati
- 1959–1963: Lt. Col. Dov Sini
- 1963–1967: Col. Aryeh Shaliv
- 1967–1969: Col. Rafael Efrat
- 1969–1973: Col. Yossi Calev
- 1973–1974: Brig. Gen. Pinhas Lahav
- 1974–1975: Brig. Gen. Efraim Poran
- 1975–1976: Brig. Gen. Dov Shion
- 1976–1977: Brig. Gen. Yoel Ben Porat
- 1977–1979: Col. Yitzhak Golan
- 1979–1984: Brig. Gen. Ya'akov Even
- 1984–1989: Brig. Gen. Efraim Lapid
- 1989–1991: Brig. Gen. Nahman ShaiNahman ShaiNahman Shai is an Israeli journalist and politician who currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Kadima. He previously worked as the IDF spokesman.-Biography:...
- 1991–1994: Brig. Gen. Eilan Tal
- 1994–1996: Brig. Gen. Amos Gilad
- 1996–1999: Brig. Gen. Oded Ben Ami
- 2000–2002: Brig. Gen. Ron Kitri
- 2002–2005: Brig. Gen. Ruth Yaron (First Woman to Lead Unit)
- 2005–2007: Brig. Gen. Miri RegevMiri RegevMiriam "Miri" Regev is an Israeli politician and a former Brigadier General in the army. She currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Likud, having previously worked as the IDF Spokeswoman.-Biography:...
- 2007–2011: Brig. Gen. Avi BenayahuAvi BenayahuBrigadier General Avraham "Avi" Benayahu , is a former Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson.Before joining the army, Benayahu studied in the Shevah secondary school in Tel Aviv. He was drafted in 1977 and later served in various roles in the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, including the press liaison and...
- 2011–Present: Brig. Gen. Yoav MordechaiYoav MordechaiYoav Mordechai has been serving as the IDF Spokesperson since April 7, 2011.Mordechai was recruited to the IDF in 1982 and served as a warrior and an officer in the 51st Battalion of the Golani Brigade. Then he served in the Research Department in the Intelligence Directorate, and in an...
Structure
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit is responsible for the IDF's information policy and media relations in both peace and war time. The unit is divided into several sub-units which deal with various areas of activity including domestic and foreign press liaison, public relations, information, photography, film, video, organization and training.- IDF Spokesperson: The IDF Spokesperson heads the IDF Spokesperson Unit and holds the rank of Tat Aluf (Brigadier General). The IDF Spokesperson is subordinate to the Chief of the Operations Branch, who holds the rank of Aluf (Major General), and is a member of the IDF General Staff Forum. The current IDF Spokesperson is Brigadier General Avi BenayahuAvi BenayahuBrigadier General Avraham "Avi" Benayahu , is a former Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson.Before joining the army, Benayahu studied in the Shevah secondary school in Tel Aviv. He was drafted in 1977 and later served in various roles in the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, including the press liaison and...
, who was appointed to the position in August 2007. Deputy Spokesman Colonel Shai Stern and Head of the Media Branch Colonel Ofer Kohl report directly to Brig.-Gen. Benayahu. - Israeli Media Branch: Responsible for the daily management of communication with various media outlets for specific target audiences. Large-circulation Israeli newspapers such as Yedioth Aharonoth, MaarivMaarivMaariv is a Hebrew language daily newspaper published in Israel. It is second in sales after Yedioth Ahronoth and third in readership after Yedioth Ahronoth and Israel HaYom. In a TGI survey comparing the last half of 2009 with the same period in 2008, Maariv saw its market share fall slightly...
and HaaretzHaaretzHaaretz is Israel's oldest daily newspaper. It was founded in 1918 and is now published in both Hebrew and English in Berliner format. The English edition is published and sold together with the International Herald Tribune. Both Hebrew and English editions can be read on the Internet...
, as well as smaller newspapers, religious media, radio and internet sources, are all assisted by the Communications Branch on military and security matters. - International Media Branch: Responsible for the administration of IDF communications with international media outlets, and for shaping the image of the IDF in the foreign public arena. Through the different desks – the News Desk; North American Desk; European, Latin American and Asian Desk; Arabic Language Desk; and Russian Language Desk – the Foreign Press Branch fields requests and inquiries from foreign news media. In June 2009 a New Media Desk, led by First Lieutenant Aliza Landes, was set up in order to deal with the growing interest from bloggers and various social media networks. Since the desk's formation there has been a marked increase in the IDF Spokesperson Unit's online presence, through such venues as an official blog, a YouTube account, and a Twitter feed, with the goal of being more accessible and open to popular international audiences.
- The Public Affairs Branch: This branch is responsible for the IDF's direct, unmediated relationship with the public, both in Israel and around the world. The branch is split into three different units -- the Military-Society Department, responsible for the Israeli public's access to the IDF; the Jewish Organizations and Foreign Governments Department, responsible for those groups' access to the IDF; and the Public Correspondence Department, responsible for responding to public requests for information, including under Israel's Freedom of Information Law.
- The Operations Branch: The nervous center of the army's real-time public relations information system. This branch, specializing in real-time, operational PR, operates 24/7 and is responsible for all outgoing IDF Spokesperson press releases. To ensure rapid PR response to developing events, this branch maintains constant communication with IDF forces in the field, through an extensive network of representatives in each regional headquarters. The branch also contains a media monitoring and analysis department.
- IDF Spokesperson Film Unit: This unit is responsible for the production of military public relations material. One of the unit's most famous productions was "Two Fingers from Sidon," a film about Israeli soldiers in Lebanon released in 1985. More recent productions include footage from the Gaza flotilla raidGaza flotilla raidThe Gaza flotilla raid was a military operation by Israel against six ships of the "Gaza Freedom Flotilla" on 31 May 2010 in international waters of the Mediterranean Sea...
which occurred May 31 2010, and which provided a hitherto-unseen angle of the operation. The unit is made up of seven departments: The IDF Website, Still Photography, Video Photography, Video Editing, Video Archives, Production and Post-Production. - Research, Strategies & Initiatives Branch: Responsible for drafting IDF strategic messages and conducting research and analysis on message effectivity. Serves as senior consultant to IDF and Spokesman in all strategic PR issues, both long- and short-term. Operations of this branch are led by a Lt. Col. and international operations are handled in consultation with a staff of former combat reservists with significant field experience. The branch is split into two primary departments: Research and Strategy.
- The Training Branch: The branch is responsible for professional training of IDF personnel in media relations. It is composed mainly of two main parts: the Department of Doctrine and Drills, and the School of Communications, which is located in the Dayan base in the Glilot region and is responsible for the communication training of senior IDF commanders.
- Brigade Operations & Human Resources Branch: Provides logistics, organization and administration for all the brigade's operations.
External links
- IDF Spokesperson's Blog (English)
- IDF Spokesperson's Youtube Channel
- IDF Spokesperson's Twitter Account
- IDF Website (English)
- IDF Flickr Stream, FlickrFlickrFlickr is an image hosting and video hosting website, web services suite, and online community that was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and acquired by Yahoo! in 2005. In addition to being a popular website for users to share and embed personal photographs, the service is widely used by bloggers to...
- IDF Spokesperson from the Jewish Virtual Library