TEL AVIV, Israel, March 21 (UPI) -- Israel's military intelligence has set up a new department to monitor organizations abroad that seek to boycott and delegitimize Israel, officials said.
The new department was established several months ago and works closely with Israeli government ministries, Haaretz reported Monday.
Among the main issues for the unit are preparations for the arrival of Gaza-bound ships seeking to violate the Israeli blockade and tracking organizations attempting to delegitimize Israel, the newspaper said.
The unit will also collect information about groups that attempt to bring charges of war crimes or other offenses against high-ranking Israeli officials and examine possible links between the organizations and terror groups
Officials at Israel's Foreign Ministry have expressed concern the army may be overreacting, saying it is unclear how to define the delegitimization of Israel.
"This is a very abstract definition. Are flotillas to Gaza delegitimization? Is criticism of settlements delegitimization? It's not clear how military intelligence's involvement in this will provide added value," a ministry official told the paper.
