Israel Faces New Front in Gaza: Facebook

Israel has strived mightily to win the information war around Gaza, launching its own YouTube channel and blogging program, keeping the international press off the battlefield and attacking Hamas websites. But they can’t control the wilds of Facebook, which has become a powerful way for the Arab world to protest the Israeli actions and raise money, Wired reports.

With Arab governments often controlling protests, social networking sites provide one of a handful of venues for free dissent. They also pump money into venues like the Palestine Red Crescent and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees. Not that Israel is without its Facebook fans. One young Jewish Londoner recently used Facebook to coordinate a 1,000-man pro-Israel rally. (More social networking stories.)