WASHINGTON (JTA) — The Israeli government reportedly did not deny being involved in the production of a flotilla video that turned out to be a hoax. The Prime Minister’s Office also acknowledged promoting the link for the YouTube video, which was posted June 23, according to Haaretz. The video depicts a man claiming to have been rejected from participating in the second Gaza flotilla because of his work as a gay rights activist. Within hours of the posting, the pro-Palestinian blog Electronic Intifada wrote that the supposedly amateur video looked professionally made, with lighting, multiple camera angles and voiceovers. The man in the video, who called himself Marc, also was identified as Israeli actor Omer Gershon. Questions then swirled about whether the Israeli government was involved in creating the video. “Various bodies dealing with international media campaigns continuously monitor and distribute Internet content when they recognize content that can serve Israel’s campaigns,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement, Haaretz reported. According to The New York Times, an intern in Netanyahu’s office was among the first to distribute the video using his personal Twitter account. The video was promoted on the Twitter accounts of Israel’s Government Press Office and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. When news spread that the video was fake, both offices deleted their Twitter posts, with the press office issuing a new one: “The ‘Gay activist’ video was … >>>
