Part 1
There are a number of important sources that provide the latest information about events in the Middle East. The mainstream media is only one source, albeit all too often a biased one. To gain a more accurate understanding, the organizations listed below offer a broader and more balanced view.
The Daily Alert
([email protected])
Daily Alert is a digest of news and commentary about Israel and the Middle East, published by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
Abu Ali Express in English
Abu Ali Express in English is an influential Israeli channel that covers Arab affairs on social media, including Telegram and Twitter and on its own website. An important source of up-to-date information about the war. https://t.me/s/englishabuali
Israel Realtime
Israel Realtime “Connecting the world to Israel in realtime. Private effort, not affiliated with the IDF or Israel Government.” Telegram link: https://t.me/Israel_Realtime_Updates
Palestinian Media Watch ( https://palwatch.org/ )
The Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) report on the Palestinian Authority’s campaign to glorify terror, including providing salaries to terrorists and their families; naming schools, sporting events, and public venues after terrorists; promoting terror in children’s TV programs, radio shows and schoolbooks.
PMW is the organization that uncovered and notified donor countries that the PA rewards terrorism by paying salaries to terrorist prisoners and money to the families of terrorist “martyrs,” totaling hundreds of millions of dollars every year. PMW’s research led to the U.S. Taylor Force Act and Israel’s “Anti-Pay-for-Slay” law and impacted funding policies in a multitude of countries.
PMW’s yearly presentations to the Israeli government, U.S. Congress and many parliaments have led to numerous parliamentary debates, policy decisions and legislation concerning the Palestinian Authority. PMW’s work has been instrumental in propelling Australia, Belgium, Britain, France, Holland, Norway, the U.S. and other countries to publicly condemn the PA for glorifying hate and terror and to cut funding to the PA and Palestinian projects promoting or glorifying terror.
PMW also reaches hundreds of thousands of people worldwide through its bulletins and special reports, and millions more through international news outlets and social media sites covering the organization’s work. By demonstrating the direct link between the Palestinian Authority’s messaging and Palestinian hate and terrorism, PMW has provided clear evidence that it is the Palestinian Authority, not Israel, that is perpetuating the conflict by promoting hate and terror and denying Israel’s right to exist in any borders.
It is PMW’s intention that governments and key decision makers worldwide will use its research to address the real obstacles to peace and develop effective solutions that focus on the fundamental changes the Palestinian Authority must make before there can be any chance of peace.
MEMRI ( https://www.memri.org/ )
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) publishes and distributes free English-language translations of Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Pashto and Turkish media reports. Their goal is to “bridge the language gap between the Middle East and the West.”
The MEMRI Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM) scrutinizes Islamist terrorism and violent extremism worldwide, with special focus on activity within and emanating from the Arab world, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran, as well as on attacks and activity in the West inspired and encouraged by the Islamic State (ISIS), al-Qaeda and other global jihad organizations. This activity includes lone-wolf attacks by residents of Western countries.
The JTTM monitors imminent and potential threats posed by various terrorist and violent extremist organizations, such as ISIS, al-Qaeda and its affiliates, and emerging jihadi groups and individuals. These threats, whether strategic, tactical, military, conventional, non-conventional or cyber, may be against national security and public safety in the U.S. and the West, or against these countries’ crucial interests and assets worldwide. It also examines and analyzes the ideological motivations behind these threats and includes a decade and a half of archives of exclusive content on jihad and terrorism.
JTTM translations and analyses are from both open and password-protected sources monitored around the clock, including:
Online media: Official outlets of ISIS, al-Qaeda and other groups, including social media, websites and forums, and dozens of the most important Islamist websites, blogs and social media accounts.
Visual media: TV channels from the Arab world, Pakistan and Afghanistan and Iran, as well as jihadi videos posted online from all over the world.
Social media accounts of known jihadis and pro-jihadis: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Dailymotion, Flickr, Instagram, Tumblr, Ask.fm and others.
Content-sharing websites where jihadi content such as photo and video reports is pasted for dissemination: Internet Archive, Justpaste.it, Pastebin and more.
Jihadi use of apps, both open and encrypted: WhatsApp, Telegram, Kik, Surespot, Wickr and others.
Audio media: Audio releases from jihadi and Islamist organizations, as well as radio broadcasts from the Arab world, Pakistan and Afghanistan and Iran.
Print media: From all Arab countries, as well as Arabic-language dailies and magazines based in the U.K. and other Western countries; also from Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and Turkey.
CAMERA (Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis) ( https://www.camera.org/ )
Follows all major print and electronic media in the U.S. as well as professional journals, websites, encyclopedias, travel guides and so forth. Often media coverage of the Middle East is distorted, and there are no enforceable codes of professional conduct that apply to journalists. Andrea Levin, the executive director and president of CAMERA, said: “Pro-Israeli media watching has an importance beyond the cause of Israel. Efforts that induce better adherence to ethical journalism in one subject area are positive generally in helping to strengthen American democracy, especially … as there are no enforceable codes of professional conduct in the media.” (Manfred Gerstenfeld, CAMERA: Fighting Distorted Media Coverage of Israel and the Middle East: An Interview with Andrea Levin. Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs Post-Holocaust and Anti-Semitism Number 33, June 1, 2005)).
NGO Monitor
( https://www.ngo-monitor.org/ )
Founded in 2002 by Professor Gerald M. Steinberg, NGO Monitor is a research institute that defends Israel’s legitimacy as a Jewish state and exposes the exploitation of human rights for demonization.
They are the leading organization that provides facts—usually unknown to the public—and exposes the lies, anti-Israel bias and antisemitism of political advocacy non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Some of these NGOs are well known and powerful, like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, while others are active primarily in political, diplomatic, academic and media venues.
Their fully verifiable, actionable research is presented to decision-makers to challenge hateful NGO narratives in the U.S. Congress and parliaments around the world, at the United Nations and the International Criminal Court, and in diplomatic and journalistic communities. They are at the forefront of effectively countering BDS, exploitation of government funding by terror-linked groups, abuse of international law and legal frameworks (“lawfare”), demonization and antisemitism.
Some of their achievements include:
$120 million in funding cuts in the past decade to anti-Israel NGOs.
Paralyzing fundraising capacity of terror-proxy NGOs and shutting down their bank accounts.
Uncovering and fighting the antisemitism and anti-Israel obsession of NGO “superpowers” such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.
Effectively countering the NGO “apartheid” libel in the media, international institutions and academic frameworks.
Making over 100 submissions to U.N. agencies since obtaining Special Consultative status in 2013, where they are often the only pro-Israel voice in the room.
Preventing divestment of hundreds of millions of dollars in Israel.
Pressing governments to fight antisemitism by adopting the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism in their NGO funding policies.
Conducting cutting-edge research to expose new BDS strategies.
Serving as go-to experts for members of Congress and parliamentarians around the world, as well as Jewish communal and pro-Israel organizations.
The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center
( https://www.terrorism-info.org.il/en/ )
The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC) was established in 2001 as part of the Israel Intelligence Heritage and Commemoration Center, the government institution for commemorating the legacy of the Israeli intelligence community, located at Glilot in central Israel. The ITIC collects and analyzes the information used in its reports, studies and bulletins related to terrorism and intelligence, and guarantees the quality and reliability of its publications.
The main research topics in the field of terrorism:
The Palestinian terrorist organizations, their ideology, activities and military capabilities, their political activity, and their international battle for hearts and minds.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Global jihad organizations, mainly ISIS and Al-Qaeda.
Funding and marketing terrorism.
States which sponsor terrorism, mainly Iran and Syria.
The campaign to delegitimize Israel.
Antisemitism and incitement to terrorism and hatred directed against the State of Israel and the Jewish people.
Iran and its policy toward terrorism and the State of Israel.
Dr. Alex Grobman is the senior resident scholar at the John C. Danforth Society, a member of the Council of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, and on the advisory board of The National Christian Leadership Conference of Israel (NCLCI). He lives in Jerusalem.
