Anonymous targets AIPAC
In a YouTube video released by TheAnonMessage, an account closely linked with the leaderless Anonymous collective, the group has sent out a call to arms against the powerful American pro-Israel lobby, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
“AIPAC is now our enemy. We're calling for an occupation of AIPAC and the destruction of their websites. Make them pay for their crimes,” read the statement, played out in the YouTube video.
Citing Obama’s “defense” of AIPAC, the collective stated in the video that American supporters of Israel are seeking to “lobby for more wars, more destruction and more death.”
The statement was released via YouTube in coordination with the annual conference of the pro-Israel group. In the opening day of the conference, AIPAC’s website was briefly taken down with Twitter account YourAnonNews claiming responsibility for an attack on the site.
“Gosh, the AIPAC website sure looks TANGO DOWN to us. Wonder why? aipac.org,” read the tweet.
Large portions of the collective have come out in support of Palestine in the past, most notably taking down websites belonging to Israeli security services such as the IDF, Mossad and Shin Bet. Previous cyber-attacks against the Israeli government were made in support of the Gaza “Freedom Flotilla,” a group of ships attempting to break the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip in 2010.
Anonymous launched a campaign against Israel last month, releasing a video on YouTube and accusing the Israeli government of committing crimes against humanity. The original video was taken down due to a "terms of use" violation.
"Through the use of media deception and political bribery, you have amassed the sympathies of many," stated the video.
"You claim to be democratic, yet this is far from the truth. Your only goal is to better the lives of a select few, while carelessly trampling the liberties of the masses. We see through the propaganda that you circulate through the mainstream media and lobby through the political establishment."