Palestinians Using Google Earth To Target Israel
Abu Saif, a rocket maker for the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, is a fan of Google Earth. One recent evening in Gaza City, I sat next to him as he showed me how he used the popular satellite mapping program to target sites within Israel.
“The technology is always improving,” he told me. “Our struggle started with the Kalashnikov, and then it moved to the suicide bomb, then the locally made rocket, and now the Grad rocket,” he said.
And that’s where Google Earth comes in. The satellite mapping tool that was created with help from the CIA’s venture capital arm has now become a favored tool for rocket makers, who use it to help aim their artillery. Maps are quickly outdated, and don’t provide, as Google Earth imagery does, the precise locations of buildings, roads, and other potential targets.