Israel operating a psychological warfare campaign in the United States

[clevergrrrl]

How is it that a foreign head of state, Netanyahu, is able to conduct an influence campaign in the United States to adjust American's attitude about the on going genocide in Gaza? How is this just out in the open and nobody bats an eye? Last I checked Israel is a foreign country that DOES NOT have American's best interest at heart.

From walkouts to warm embraces: Netanyahu's post-UN pivot to friendly audiences - analysis
At two private events in New York, Prime Minister Netanyahu gathered friendly faces to discuss fighting for Israel, but the Prime Minister faces remarkably different rhetoric from critics at home.

Hours after dozens of diplomats walked out of his UN speech, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu found receptive audiences at two private New York events where Jewish-American influencers framed Israel's challenges in starkly different terms than his domestic critics.

The contrast could hardly have been starker. At 11 a.m. on Friday, representatives from numerous nations streamed out of the UN General Assembly hall as Netanyahu approached the podium.

By evening, he was surrounded by social media personalities calling him a protector of the Jewish people and thanking him for making it "not so easy to kill Jews anymore."

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-868763

Inside Israel’s ‘Esther Project’: Justice Dept. filing exposes secret influencer PR campaign

Newly filed records with the Department of Justice show that Israel’s government has quietly launched a two-track influence operation in the United States, blending big-budget political advertising with grassroots-style influencer campaigns.

The filings reveal that a firm called Bridges Partners LLC has been hired to manage an influencer network under a project code-named the “Esther Project.” It is unclear if there is any link to Project Esther, a plan to combat antisemitism published by the Heritage Foundation, an American right-wing think tank.

In its disclosure, required under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, Bridges said its work was intended to “assist with promoting cultural interchange between the United States and Israel” and specified that the engagement runs through a German division of the global PR firm Havas.

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-869219

[Attilatheblond]

1. Popcorn

it's what's for lunch

[Orrex]

2. He has no shortage of edgy apologists

Last edited Wed Oct 1, 2025, 09:21 PM - Edit history (1)

Notwithstanding (or perhaps because of) his years-long campaign of deliberate civilian murder.

[kimbutgar]

3. John Oliver did a great show about Netanyahu Sunday night and it explains a lot about him

And why is doing this to the US.

[Mosby]

4. PR is psychological warfare?

[clevergrrrl]

5. In the US Army

Its actually a component of Civil Affairs, so yeah, public relations is psychological warfare

[clevergrrrl]

11. Netanyahu himself refers to it as warfare

[karynnj]

6. I'm not sure when Israel's program started, but

the heritage project of basically the same name started in late 2024. From very recent polling, Israel's perception has changed by a very large amount to be more negative than anyone would have expected.

This may show that Esther's project has not been a total success.

If the war actually ends, it is not clear what the governing body in Gaza (or the West Bank) will be. It may take a lot for Israel to regain its support in the world.

[hedda_foil]

7. jpost is Jerusalem Post. It's an Israel-based (ie. not American) publication.

The actions of Israel's racist, demagogic, far right government and Netanyahu himself sicken me, but the pieces in this publication are not examples of Israel propagandizing Americans. There is plenty of actual propaganda sponsored by the Israeli government in this country, but this isn't in that category.

[clevergrrrl]

8. watch the conference between Netanyahu and American social influencers

and you'll change your tune

[hedda_foil]

9. The only thing I said you got wrong was about the Jerusalem Post articles.

I agree that he and his government are propagandizing us like mad through online influencers, highly funded formal and informal lobbying and much more.

[superpatriotman]

10. "Internet Megaphone" (2006)

Using the internet to further and promote state initiatives and viewpoints.