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Justice (ret.) Eliyahu Winograd, who heads the committee investigating the Second Lebanon War. (Reuters Archives)
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Last update - 21:48 10/12/2007
Censor: IDF revealed classified data during Second Lebanon War
By Yuval Azoulay, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Lebanon, Winograd, IDF 

Israel Defense Forces officers provided the press with classified information during the Second Lebanon War, Chief Military Censor Colonel Sima Vaknin-Gil told the Winograd Committee investigating war.

According to testimony released Monday, Vaknin-Gil told the committee that the information in question was not leaked to the media, but released in orderly briefings.

One of the biggest problems, according to Vaknin-Gil, was that guidelines for talking to the media were unclear to some officers.
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"It was as if we were in another Gaza-type routine activity; military sources disclosed to the media the whereabouts of every single unit," she told the panel. "In a war, information equals power and vagueness is an advantage, which was, to a certain extent, lost here."

Vaknin-Gil told the Winograd panel that she would have censored much of the information that was revealed by senior IDF officers, and recommended to IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi that future media briefings be broadcast with a delay of several minutes, so that that the release of classified information can be avoided.

"Most of our secrecy requirements were met," she said. "Over the years our manpower has been cut by a half, from 70 to 35 people, of which only 28 are censors. When there were 70 if us, there were only three newspapers, maybe four. These days, there is internet, television, radio and local papers. We were 28 people, with no reservists, and it was impossible to do more. If these are the standards Israel expects from the military censorship, it is welcome to leave it as it is."

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      1.   Unrestricted freedom of press undermines IDF operations 17:09  |  Joseph E . 10/12/07
      2.   What happened To The Days Where I Could Not Even Tell My Mother 17:27  |  Eli 10/12/07
      3.   "Haaretz" protesting against the censure guilty of death of IDF 17:34  |  Absolute Sweden 10/12/07
      4.   Information During Wartime 17:56  |  Franklin 10/12/07
      5.   Nothing nefarious.... 18:01  |  Esther 10/12/07
      6.   Hezbollah Doesnt Need this information 18:36  |  Ahmed 10/12/07
      7.   More Evidence Proving the IDF`s Incompetence 18:47  |  Tod Zuckerman 10/12/07
      8.   The world has changed 18:54  |  Chris Linthwaite 10/12/07
      9.   SOLUTIONS TO PREVENT LEAKS 19:46  |  * BEN JABO 10/12/07
      10.   Location of units 20:30  |  Mike 10/12/07
      11.   #3 Absolute Idiot 20:31  |  Kimmo 10/12/07
      12.   with friends like IDF who needs enemies 20:35  |  sam 10/12/07
      13.   Ahmed 20:39  |  Mattityahu 10/12/07
      14.   For Kimmo #11 20:43  |  Esther 10/12/07
      15.   Remember CNN - First Gulf War. 20:43  |  Stephen. 10/12/07
      16.   Esther 21:07  |  Mike 10/12/07
      17.   #15 Certainly did Stephen 21:24  |  Chris Linthwaite 10/12/07
      18.   Ben Jabo You are Describing 21:26  |  Samir Salameh 10/12/07
      19.   #15 Stephen 21:39  |  tbora 10/12/07
      20.   Revealing classified data 22:16  |  Dee 10/12/07
      21.   Leftie Esther,rejoice ,your beloved pals and Hezbs understand 22:21  |  Absolute Sweden 10/12/07
      22.   so many inexcusable errors 22:25  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 10/12/07
      23.   Living in the past 22:57  |  Mike 10/12/07
      24.   tbora #18 22:57  |  Séamus 10/12/07
      25.   # 18. Now ,now,.... tbora 23:00  |  Stephen. 10/12/07
      26.   #21 23:12  |  Herb 10/12/07
      27.   Re Mike #16 23:18  |  Esther 10/12/07
      28.   The IDF needs a spokesperson 23:20  |  Alicia 10/12/07
      29.   Ben Jabo 23:40  |  Alicia 10/12/07
      30.   #27 23:53  |  Mike 10/12/07
      31.   Mr.Absolute finally gives some credit 00:00  |  Pekka 11/12/07
      32.   #29 Alicia 00:14  |  * BEN JABO 11/12/07
      33.   Herb,anti-semitism should rather be your problem,not mine 00:15  |  Absolute Sweden 11/12/07
      34.   #18 Salami 00:16  |  * BEN JABO 11/12/07
      35.   I don`t suppose they mentioned 01:19  |  H50 11/12/07
      36.   More money whines the bureaucrat 02:01  |  Mark Lincoln 11/12/07
      37.   #21, Absolute Sweden to Esther... 05:15  |  Silvienne 11/12/07
      38.   #35, H50... 05:18  |  Silvienne 11/12/07
      39.   IDF CLASSIFIED INFO, #13 MATTITYAHU 08:38  |  HM 11/12/07
      40.   For Mike #30 08:54  |  Esther 11/12/07
      41.   Silvienne,not my fault you`re retard and without any 10:09  |  Absolute Sweden 11/12/07
      42.   IF THE CENSORS, ON TOP OF BEING 10:37  |  Robert 11/12/07
      43.   For Silvienne #37 11:39  |  Esther 11/12/07
      44.   #36 - Mark & Bureaucrats 17:22  |  Yitz 11/12/07
      45.   #36 Lincoln (Abe is still ashamed of you) 18:46  |  * BEN JABO 11/12/07
      46.   #41, Absolute Sweden...why, thank you, kind sir! 22:02  |  Silvienne 11/12/07
      47.   #43, Esther... 22:06  |  Silvienne 11/12/07
      48.   #45, Ben Jabo... 22:09  |  Silvienne 11/12/07
      49.   No 19 Tbora 22:26  |  John Phee 11/12/07
      50.   #45 Silvienne - just what are you attempting to say 01:05  |  * BEN JABO 12/12/07
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