What’s the use of releasing info about the level of terror alerts to the media? According to Haaretz, that’s the Israeli security establishment’s burning question:
The daily list of terror alerts that the Shin Bet circulates to various security branches is a big hit with the media. Prior to holidays, in particular, specific warnings generate easy headlines. But just how relevant are these warnings to ordinary people? Behind the scenes, the IDF and Shin Bet are hotly arguing whether these frequent bulletins are superfluous.
Senior general staff members make no secret of their belief that the reports are not only superfluous, but also alarming and detrimental to the public’s sense of security. The Shin Bet contends it merely provides the media with information and is not responsible for transforming it into giant headlines….
The IDF says the main purpose of terrorism is to instill fear in civilian society, and the endless churning out of numbers of alerts helps achieve this.
Even defining a terror alert isn’t so simple:
The Shin Bet says a general alert includes information about the intentions of some groups to carry out a shooting or suicide bombing at an unknown place and time. A concrete plan by a known group to initiate an attack within the Green Line in the near future is defined as specific.
The IDF disagrees, maintaining that a general alert is no more than “an item of intelligence.” As long as the planner, his origin and the time and place of his plan are unknown, it should not be termed an alert, because in military terms, there is no information requiring immediate operative activity.
How useful are terror alerts to ordinary people, and should the media (Backspin included) re-examine the way they’re reported? Post your comments below.
