Academy of the Hebrew Language website hacked

Hackers have disabled the website of the Academy of the Hebrew Language, the official Israeli institution governing the usage of modern Hebrew.

Amid the US-Israeli war with Iran, the academy’s Hebrew and English websites are diverted to a page stating, “No need to learn Hebrew anymore. You won’t need it for much longer.”

The page is illustrated with “Handala,” a symbol of Palestinian resistance. The character was created by Palestinian newspaper cartoonist Naji al-Ali in 1969 and is widely used by the Palestinian national movement.

Handala is also the name of an Iran-linked hacker group that has infiltrated the devices of Israeli politicians and, recently, of the Clalit health care network. As of this morning, however, the group’s social media has made no mention of hacking the academy, and the logo that now appears on the academy’s website differs slightly from the hacking group’s emblem.

A source close to the academy cannot confirm which body hacked into the academy’s website.

The source adds that the hackers may be perturbed by the number of Persian words that are commonly used in the Hebrew language, including the word for religion, “dat.”

The academy’s scientific secretary, Barak Dan, tells The Times of Israel, “The resurgence of the Hebrew language has always been a central tenet of Zionism. Until today, Israelis see Hebrew as a core to their identities. An attempt to annihilate the Hebrew language is perceived as an attempt to shake the foundations of the State of Israel.”