Israel – A wave of unsubstantiated rumors on social networking led police to issue a call to the public imploring them to only trust official statements posted on the police Facebook page.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
In a statement on Monday afternoon, police said “following the security escalation in recent days, on social networks we are seeing rumors and different announcements warning the public about potential hazards. We wish to clarify that if there is any reason to warn you about danger, we will make sure to do so on our official Facebook page.”
One of the announcements that circled Israeli social networks on Monday, mainly on WhatsApp, said that 4,000 IDF reservists had received call-up orders and were preparing for a major operation in Gaza to last several weeks.
One message in particular was sent out by police from the Sharon region, with a note from the regional spokesman saying that the announcement was false. The text in question read that the market in the Arab town of Tira had been declared a closed military area and that civilians are strongly advised not to enter the area because there are plans to bomb the market and or kidnap Israeli civilians from there.
The prevalence of rumors on Israeli social networking has been a major headache for police and the army since the three Israeli teens were kidnapped on June 12. These included false reports that the three had been saved in a rescue operation by the IDF and Shin Bet, which circled the country on the morning after the kidnapping, as well as another report reading that the three teens had been murdered, days before their bodies were actually found.
Content is provided courtesy of the Jerusalem Post
“Trust official statements,” I think not.