"Militants using Google Earth to pick targets in Israel"

Tel Aviv daily Haaretz says that Palestinian militants targeting Israel are making use of Google Earth. The groups that have been launching rockets into the western Negev from the Gaza Strip have been using Google's popular satellite imagery program to reconnoiter areas in Israel to be targeted for attack, according to a report in the British daily The Guardian. "Militants using Google Earth to pick targets in Israel" A leading figure in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades told the paper that his organization scans military and civilian sites, including the town of Sderot, through Google Earth. "We obtain the details from Google Earth and check them against our maps of the city center and sensitive areas," the Al-Aqsa commander in Gaza, Khaled Jaabari, told the Guardian. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades is the military wing of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction. Jaabari, who is also known as Abu Walid, also told the paper that the Palestinians have succeeded in improving the range of the Qassam rocket through the cultivation of sea salt. The Palestinians are not the first to employ Google Earth for military gains. According to the report, British authorities expressed concerns that Iraqi insurgents were using aerial images from Google Earth to target British bases near the southern Iraqi town of Basra. When queried about the use of Google Earth by militants, Google issued a statement saying "we have paid close attention to concerns that Google Earth creates new security risks." "The imagery visible on Google Earth and Google Maps is not unique; commercial high-resolution satellite and aerial imagery of every country in the world is widely available from numerous sources. Indeed, anyone who flies above or drives by a piece of property can obtain similar information." "Google has engaged, and will continue to engage, in substantive dialogue with recognized security experts and relevant agencies worldwide," continued the statement, which was released to The Guardian

"Militants using Google Earth to pick targets in Israel"

A leading figure in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades told the paper that his organization scans military and civilian sites, including the town of Sderot, through Google Earth.

"We obtain the details from Google Earth and check them against our maps of the city center and sensitive areas," the Al-Aqsa commander in Gaza, Khaled Jaabari, told the Guardian. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades is the military wing of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction.

Jaabari, who is also known as Abu Walid, also told the paper that the Palestinians have succeeded in improving the range of the Qassam rocket through the cultivation of sea salt.

The Palestinians are not the first to employ Google Earth for military gains. According to the report, British authorities expressed concerns that Iraqi insurgents were using aerial images from Google Earth to target British bases near the southern Iraqi town of Basra.

When queried about the use of Google Earth by militants, Google issued a statement saying "we have paid close attention to concerns that Google Earth creates new security risks."

"The imagery visible on Google Earth and Google Maps is not unique; commercial high-resolution satellite and aerial imagery of every country in the world is widely available from numerous sources. Indeed, anyone who flies above or drives by a piece of property can obtain similar information."

"Google has engaged, and will continue to engage, in substantive dialogue with recognized security experts and relevant agencies worldwide," continued the statement, which was released to The Guardian