by Omer Benjakob at Haaretz
Contracts between Israel and Trump-linked firms reveal campaigns and plans to target millions of U.S. churchgoers, deploy bots, hire influencers and try to make ChatGPT more pro-Israel
The Israeli government has signed contracts worth millions of dollars in recent months to rehabilitate Israel’s standing in American public opinion, both online and offline. Amid a sharp drop in support from the conservative right, Israel has hired firms to conduct not just “hasbara [public diplomacy] campaigns” but also campaigns targeting millions of Christian churchgoers, bot networks to amplify pro-Israel messages online, and efforts to influence both search results and the responses given by popular AI services like ChatGPT.
Among the experts recruited is a former campaign manager for Donald Trump and many of the other firms are linked to the Republican party or Evangelical communities, indicating that Israel is focusing massive efforts on communities once considered automatically pro-Israel. Among the campaigns’ goals is fighting antisemitism, which has risen alongside the decline in support for Israel. Together, these campaigns signal a new phase in Israel’s post-war public diplomacy strategy, and a shift in the way it uses agents – both AI and human influencers – for hasbara abroad.
American firms representing foreign governments must register with the U.S. Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Documents filed over the past two months show that the Government of Israel – through the Foreign Ministry, the Tourism Ministry, and the Government Advertising Agency (LAPAM) – signed multiple contracts in the United States to promote Israel’s interests…
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