by NADDA OSMAN
Facing global condemnation for war crimes in Gaza, Israel is turning to paid influencers, content creators, and AI tools to reshape its public perception
What was supposed to be a quiet meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a cohort of pro-Israel influencers last month has had a loud impact, revealing what has been described as a desperate attempt by the government to polish Tel Aviv’s perception globally, amid mounting criticism for war crimes in Gaza.
The influencers are estimated to have been paid around $7,000 per post across various platforms, all on Israel’s behalf, according to media reports.
Records filed with the Department of Justice show that the Israeli government hired a firm called Bridges Partners LLC to manage the influencer network, which has been code-named “Esther Project”.
Bridges states its work was to “assist with promoting cultural interchange between the United States and Israel,” while contracts show up to $900,000 in payments to be divided up over several months to cover upfront payments, concept development, influencer fees, production and agency costs.
In the New York meeting with influencers, Netanyahu stressed that social media is a new tool to counter waning public support for Israel and its growing pariah status amid the two-year war on Gaza.
The UN, human rights organisations, and legal experts have all labelled Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide, while the ICC has issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu for crimes against humanity, and a genocide case is pending at the ICJ.
Public support for Israel in Europe and the United States is at an all-time low, with more Americans now sympathising with Palestinians rather than Israel for the first time since polling began in 1998.
In late September, more countries, such as the UK, Canada, France, Australia, and Portugal, formally recognised a Palestinian state.
Meet the influencers
A range of influencers from different sectors attended the roundtable. Among them were Lizzy Savetsky, a lifestyle and fashion figure, Miriam Ezagui, a US-based nurse who posts on TikTok about Jewish orthodox life and traditions, as well as Zach Sage Fox, who posts pro-Israel videos.
In February, Savetsky shared a video of Jewish supremacist Rabbi Meir Kahane, a violent fanatic who routinely espoused anti-Arab and Palestinian rhetoric. In a caption to one of her social media posts, Savetsky writes, “The only language Arabs understand is force and fear”, paraphrasing Kahane.
Yair Netanyahu, the Prime Minister’s son, who has been at the centre of several social media scandals in recent years, was also among the influencers. Most recently, he denied that there was a famine in Gaza, blaming images of starving children on genetic issues.
A New York City-based influencer, Debra Lea, who attended the meeting, posted a photo saying it was an “honour” to meet Netanyahu, calling him “one of the greatest politicians of all time”.
In response to a question she posed at the meeting, Netanyahu hinted at his strategy to have a larger Israeli influence on TikTok.
“Weapons change over time. We can’t fight today with swords or with cavalry, we have these new things – drones – I won’t get into that. But we have to fight with weapons that apply to the battlefield in which we’re engaged – and the most important one is social media,” he said.
‘Paid propaganda’
The meeting has garnered a critical response from media commentators and experts, who say that Israel is becoming increasingly desperate in attempts to improve its public image.
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