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| Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures as he delivers his speech during his party's meeting for the upcoming Jewish New Year in Tel Aviv August 30, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) |
JERUSALEM, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday officially joined the social networking era with the launching of a new YouTube channel, as well as Facebook, Twitter and flickr accounts.
"Social media channels are today more vital than ever for Israel's public diplomacy efforts, for administrative transparency and for providing citizens with updated information," Netanyahu said in a statement issued Tuesday by the Prime Minister's Office.
Netanyahu has directed that the new accounts be used during the direct peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians, set to begin Wednesday in Washington, in order to "pass along updates and current information."
The importance of the Internet and social networking sites in the international politics arena has grown significantly in recent years, especially since the 2008 presidential elections in the United States.
Social networking sites played an important role in President Barack Obama's election campaign, disseminating his ideology and agenda to millions of potential voters throughout the U.S. and presenting him as a candidate who belongs to the young Internet age.
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office has been maintaining an official website for years, but the Israeli premier may now be following in the footsteps of Obama in communicating his messages to wider international audiences.
However, the new accounts still lack effectiveness. They have not been made interactive and do not engage directly with surfers.
Netanyahu's new Twitter account, for example, consists mainly of press releases, while the flickr account presents visitors with mundane photos of the prime minister meeting with dignitaries.
