IDF Spokesperson's Unit
Israeli military unit From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Israeli military unit From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit (Hebrew: דובר צה"ל, Dover Tzahal, abbr. Dotz) is the unit in the IDF Operations Directorate, responsible for information policy and media relations. The unit is led by the IDF Spokesperson, a brigadier general and member of the General Staff, and by the Deputy Spokesperson, a colonel. Since March 2023 and as of October 2024[update] the Spokesperson is Brig. Gen. Daniel Hagari.
| IDF Spokesperson's Unit | |
|---|---|
| דובר צה"ל | |
 | |
| Active | 1948–present |
| Country |  Israel |
| Allegiance |  Israel Defense Forces |
The International Media Branch of the unit is responsible for the administration of IDF communications with international media outlets, and for shaping the image of the IDF in the foreign public arena.
The unit is also a key player in the public diplomacy efforts of the State of Israel.[1] The 2015 IDF military doctrine highlights the strategic importance of using the power of the media; economic, legal, media, and political aspects are considered as part of the military approach as much as military combat.[2][3]
Since 2008, the IDF has increasingly also invested in a strong presence on the most important social media platforms.[4] In the meantime, the English-speaking Facebook page of the IDF is one of the most followed social media representations of armies worldwide.[1]
The unit has become the largest spokesperson unit in Israel.[5][1]
The IDF Spokesperson holds the rank of Tat Aluf (Brigadier General) and is subordinate to the Chief of the Operations Branch, who holds the rank of Aluf (Major General), and is a member of the IDF General Staff Forum. As of April 2024[update] the IDF Spokesperson was Brig. Gen. Daniel Hagari,[6] who replaced former Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Ran Kochav in March 2023.[7]
The Israeli Communication Branch is responsible for liaising with all media outlets in Israel. It operates in both routine and emergency situations to promote specific topics on the public agenda and in media discourse, as well as to strengthen trust in the IDF. Previously, this branch was known as the "Press Liaison Unit" and later as the "Press Liaison Branch." The soldiers in this branch are divided into sections, each responsible for communication with reporters from various media outlets:[8]
The International Media Branch is responsible for the administration of IDF communications with international media outlets. Through its different desks – the News Desk; North American Desk; European Desk; Latin American and Asian Desk; Arabic Language Desk;[9] and Russian Language Desk – the Foreign Press Branch fields requests and inquiries from foreign news media. In June 2009 a New Media Desk was established in order to deal with the growing interest from bloggers and various social media networks. From then onwards there was a marked increase in the IDF Spokesperson Unit's online presence, through such venues as an official blog, a YouTube account, and a Twitter feed.[10] As of 2015, the IDF was active on 30 different social media platforms.[11][12] In 2017, the branch had 15 staff members responsible for taking care of the social media platforms used by the IDF to reach out to audiences abroad.[11]
In mid-2015, Lt. Col. Peter Lerner was appointed spokesperson to international media and commander of IDF social media activities. He was born in London and attended Sinai School in Kenton, before his family moved to Israel when he was 12.[13] The Jewish Telegraphic Agency ranked him fifth among its most influential people on "Jewish Twitter" in March 2016, and in the following November, Jewish News ranked him 18th on its "Aliyah 100" list of "those who have made a significant contribution to the State of Israel".[14] After presiding over a staff of 70, he retired from the IDF in April 2019, to become Director General of a new International Division of Israel's General Federation of Labour, the Histadrut.[15]
After Lerner's retirement, Lt. Col. Richard Hecht became head of the International Media Branch. Hecht grew up in the Glasgow suburb of Newton Mearns, in Scotland, and moved to Israel with his family in the 1980s.[16] Hecht is co-author, with Richard Friedland, of the 2000 work To Rule Jerusalem.[17] A former member of the Israeli Air Force, in both combat and foreign affairs roles, he had retired, but was called back in to IMB in November 2022.[14]
During the Israel-Hamas War that followed the attack by Hamas on Israel on 7 October 2023, Lerner returned to the IDF and joined Hecht in the IMB.[18] He does daytime interviews, and Hecht does briefings with groups of journalists using Zoom.[18]
Former combat commander, and 24-year IDF veteran, Lt. Col. (ret.) Jonathan Conricus was the international spokesperson of the IDF from 2017 to 2021.[18] In the wake of the 2023 Hamas attack he returned and gave overnight briefings and interviews.[18] Conricus was born in Israel, and lived in Malmo, Sweden, as a child, until his family returned to Israel when he was 13.[14] He was the first Israeli officer to be seconded to the United Nations, where as an Assessment Officer he provided strategic analysis for United Nations peacekeeping forces.[19] After serving in the IDF for 24 years, he became a reserve officer.[18] As he is on the (Israeli time) overnight shift, he focuses on American media.[18]
The current head of the branch is Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, who took up his post in April 2024[20]. Other English-speaking staff include Maj. Roni Caplan, Maj. Libby Weiss, Maj. Arieh, Lt.-Col. Amnon Shefler, and Maj. Doron Spielman.[14]
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