BEIRUT: Israeli military intelligence has almost completely ceased real-time monitoring of anti-Israeli media, including Al-Jazeera and Lebanon's Al-Manar TV, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
The Israeli daily cited a lack of resources, a reordering of priorities and years of neglect as factors behind the change.
The paper quoted high-ranking government and military sources as saying that a Military Intelligence decision to closely monitor web-based social media, particularly following uprisings in the region, has drastically reduced monitoring of mainstream Arabic-language media.
“They said Military Intelligence has almost totally stopped monitoring major television stations in real time, like Al Jazeera, Al-Manar and Palestinian television,” Hareetz reported.
The drop-off in monitoring anti-Israeli media has led military officials to outsource the task to private organizations, according to the report.
“The situation … prompted government officials to ask Military Intelligence chief Aviv Kochavi in the last few weeks to take action. Staff members in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bureau were among the officials who complained to Kochavi,” the report added.
The Israeli army issued a statement denying the allegations.