Palestine Becomes Test Field for Israeli Military Artificial Intelligence Technology

Several reports say that Israel is using Palestine as a testing field to test military technology equipped with artificial intelligence (AI). Palestinians became victims of the experiment.

The following article was translated using both Microsoft Azure Open AI and Google Translation AI.

AP PHOTO/ARIEL SCHALIT

Israeli soldiers pay attention to the iron dome defense system working to intercept rockets launched by members of the Islamic Jihad Group in Ashkelon, southern Israel, Sunday (7/8/2022). Israel has reportedly been using and testing intelligence-equipped weapons for 2.5 years.

NEW YORK, SUNDAY—Israel is intensifying its testing and use of military technology equipped with artificial intelligence. The testing fields for various technologies and weapons are in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories.

An Israeli military officer (IDF) revealed it to Bloomberg. In a report on Sunday (16/7/2023), it was revealed that the IDF uses AI to select target locations for attacks and to coordinate troop supplies.

A system called a fire factory processes data in the form of satellite imagery, surveillance camera recordings, and telephone or radio wiretapping results. The system allows potential targets of attack to be determined in a matter of weeks. In the past, with old intelligence systems, it would take months to identify targets.

After the target was determined, Israel used three attack patterns. The IDF employed two types of air attacks and supplemented with ground attacks. Ground attacks employed fighter jets or missile-carrying attack helicopters. In addition, unmanned aerial vehicles were deployed, moving like swarms of insects.

Also read: Iron Dome, Israel's Sophisticated Defense System That Can Still Be Penetrated by Hamas Rockets

The movement of unmanned aircraft is regulated with AI to prevent them from colliding with each other. Attacks that mimic insect swarms are more difficult to defend against. This is because it is difficult to learn the highly dynamic and terrain-dependent movement patterns.

Director General of Defense in the Israeli Ministry of Defense, Eyal Zamir, said that the IDF will be automated in the coming years. Therefore, the use of AI and robots will increase. "AI technology improves capabilities, including combat operations control," he said.

(PHOTO BY MAHMUD HAMS / AFP)

Flames and smoke were seen rising above a building in Gaza City after the Israeli military launched a rocket into the area on Friday (27/1/2023) morning.

Israel claims that the use of AI reduces the number of civilian casualties. This is because attacks are only directed at locations believed to be genuine hiding places for Palestinian resistance figures or devices. "Whatever claims of accuracy are made by the IDF, there are always civilian casualties," said Gaza journalist Anas Baba.

He referred, among other things, to the findings of Human Rights Watch (HRW). Since 2021, at least 300 Palestinian civilians have been killed by Israeli attacks. In addition, various civilian facilities have been destroyed or at least damaged by various Israeli attacks.

The IDF claims that the "11 Day War" is the first war to truly utilize AI.

HRW chose 2021 as the initial measurement time because the IDF claims to have used AI for war purposes since 2021. In the “11 Day War” in 2021, as reported by Jerusalem Post and Times of Israel , the IDF admits to using AI to orchestrate attacks and counterattacks.

The IDF claims the "11-Day War" as the first war to truly start using AI. "For the first time, AI becomes a key component and strength enhancer against the enemy," said an IDF official after the war.

AP PHOTO/SHIR TOREM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived to give a speech near the Salem military post between Israel and the West Bank on Tuesday (7/4/2023). Netanyahu indicated that military operations near the Jenin refugee camp have become one of the most intense military operation areas.

Director of HRW Palestine and Israel, Omar Shakir, stated that there is much evidence that Israel has turned Palestine into a testing field to test military technology equipped with AI. Palestinian citizens are sacrificed to test and improve the performance of this technology.

"Israel uses various things in the West Bank and Gaza to test AI. They use automatic rifles, biometric information recorders, and even unmanned aerial vehicles," he said.

HRW believes it is only a matter of time before Israel sells the various weapons and technologies to other countries. Buyers have been convinced of the performance of the technology and weaponry through continuous testing in Palestine.

Read also: Israel Shows off Weapons in Southeast Asia

In its report in April 2023, Amnesty International stated that Israel is currently implementing an automated apartheid policy. Israel is said to have a biometric database that is referred to as a potential trigger for problems.

"The report stated that almost all of its contents are data on Palestinians. Individuals within the database are at risk of being arrested at any time by Israeli authorities. Their arrests and detentions are often done without clear reasons." (AFP/REUTERS)