Palestinians Using Google Earth To Target Israel
Guardian:
Palestinian militants are using Google Earth to help plan their attacks on the Israeli military and other targets, the Guardian has learned.
Members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a group aligned with the Fatah political party, say they use the popular internet mapping tool to help determine their targets for rocket strikes.
“We obtain the details from Google Earth and check them against our maps of the city centre and sensitive areas,” Khaled Jaabari, the group’s commander in Gaza who is known as Abu Walid, told the Guardian.
Abu Walid showed the Guardian an aerial image of the Israeli town of Sderot on his computer to demonstrate how his group searches for targets.
The Guardian filmed an al-Aqsa test rocket launch, fired into an uninhabited area of the Negev desert, last month. Despite the crudeness of the weapons, many have landed in Sderot, killing around a dozen people in the last three years and wounding scores more.
Al-Aqsa is one of several militant groups firing rockets, known as Qassams, from Gaza into Israel. A rocket attack by Islamic Jihad on a military base last month wounded more than 50 soldiers. Hamas’s military wing, the Izzedine Qassam Brigades, is not believed to be firing rockets.
Abu Walid insists there is no contradiction between his group’s actions and talk of peace by Mahmoud Abbas, Fatah’s leader.
Bringing up archive footage of rocket launches on his computer, he said that the group had modified the homemade rockets to travel longer distances by cultivating salt from the sea. “It’s a secret process, but we’re very excited by the results.”
The Google Earth mapping program includes satellite maps and detailed 3D models of some areas. Although the satellite images are only updated on an irregular basis - meaning that pictures of mobile targets would be unusable - some defence experts have said the easy availability of information can increase the risks for military organisations.
“There is a constant threat of reconnaissance missions to access our bases and using these internet images is just another method of how this is conducted,” said British military spokesman Major Charlie Burbridge earlier this year.
It is not the first time that Google has been accused of unwittingly abetting the activities of militant groups or terrorist organisations. In January, British officials claimed that insurgents sympathetic to al-Qaida were using aerial photography in Google Earth to locate potential targets inside British bases around the southern Iraqi city of Basra.
When asked about the use of Google Earth by al-Aqsa militants, Google said it was aware of potential problems, but would not comment specifically on the case. “We have paid close attention to concerns that Google Earth creates new security risks,” said the company in a statement. “The imagery visible on Google Earth and Google Maps is not unique: commercial high-resolution satellite and aerial imagery of every country in the world is widely available from numerous sources. Indeed, anyone who flies above or drives by a piece of property can obtain similar information.”
The company would not confirm whether it had received requests from the Israeli government to block certain images or areas inside Google Earth, but said it was committed to working with officials to take public safety into account.
“Google has engaged, and will continue to engage, in substantive dialogue with recognised security experts and relevant agencies worldwide,” it said.
Be respectful of others and their opinions. Inflammatory remarks and inane leftist drivel will be deleted. It ain’t about free speech, remember you’re in a private domain. My website, my prerogative.
If you can't handle using your real email address, don't bother posting a comment.
google has already shown it sides with our domestic communists and other enemies of our nation with their policies on youtube
do you think they give a shit about the murder of Israeli citizens?
they would block the info if the chinese government requested it
October 24th, 2007 at 8:02 pmSteve hits it right on the money. How google thinks publishing sensitive information about our allies on the internet helps the world boggles the mind. As for the Palestinian - they deserve what they get and can rot in their little strip. No Peace for them - and NO state for them.
October 24th, 2007 at 8:54 pmThe one thing that Muslim Arabs are good at in applying themselves to technological development: murdering unarmed civilians (esp. Jews).
If only they put that much determined effort into, oh, educating children or curing diseases…
October 24th, 2007 at 9:18 pmSteve, you hit on a very important point there. Blocking for China, would probably block for Iran if it was asked and etc. But when it comes to Israel it doesnt seem to matter. A tool thats really only civilian use is for entertainment purposes you would think they would have the brains to shut this shit down for a while after learning the other uses of it
October 24th, 2007 at 9:36 pm“The one thing that Muslim Arabs are good at in applying themselves to technological development: murdering unarmed civilians (esp. Jews).
If only they put that much determined effort into, oh, educating children or curing diseases…”
Oh, no. That would require them to be *gasp* civil! Muhammad and Allah can’t have that, now can they?
October 25th, 2007 at 1:15 am$200,000,000,000.00 Google: What, me worry? So, sue me!
October 25th, 2007 at 7:21 am