Israel, recognizing the importance of prevailing in the area of public relations in the new media, has launched channels on both YouTube and Twitter.

“The blogosphere and new media are another war zone,” said IDF Foreign Press Branch head Maj. Avital Leibovich. “We have to be relevant there.”

One of the most remarkable videos currently on the IDF’s YouTube channel is that of an Israeli plane striking an underground rocket launching site purposely located in a residential area. Following the strike, you can actually see a rocket that was prepared for launching take off in an uncontrolled manner.

There are other videos besides the bombing of rocket launching sites, of course. Here’s one featuring Israel sending truckloads of humanitarian aid to Gaza. That’s an aspect of their offensive that often gets lost in the news shuffle.

Now, if you’re interested, the the Israeli consulate in New York is hosting a live Twitter conference between 1 and 3PM EST today (December 30th). You can submit your questions by directing them at the consulate’s Twitter account. The Consul of Media and Public Affairs will answer as many questions as possible through the service.

It’s definitely a smart move on the part of Israel to engage the new media. The Jerusalem Post notes a growing sentiment in the Israeli government that one of its failures in 2006 was not being prepared for the media debate surrounding its offensive. Utilizing services such as Twitter and YouTube is a definitely a positive step towards prevailing in the public relations arena.