October 15, 2025
Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government has taken control of TikTok and plans to control the social network X as well. However, the State of Israel's propaganda has long eluded its citizens. Its purpose has never been publicly discussed. A small group decides its messages alone, without considering what would be useful to Israelis-such as combating anti-Semitism. The state's resources have been seized solely by "revisionist Zionists," even though they are an ultra-minority.
Israeli propaganda (הַסְבָּרָה - hasbara) has rarely been a function of Israeli governments, but rather an operation of associations partially funded by them. These associations, which have their own ideologies, are not accountable for their actions to the Israeli people, but exclusively to their sponsors, including the governments in Tel Aviv. The self-proclaimed "largest democracy in the Middle East" thus funds profoundly anti-democratic operations without the knowledge of its citizens.
Israel's chronic instability since its founding and the habit of appointing central directors of ministries according to political criteria rather than competence have blurred Israel's message. Several competing powers deliver different messages [1]. Ultimately, an authority was created for "public diplomacy" (propaganda). It has become particularly secretive.
Before the founding of Israel, the term hasbara referred to the act of explaining a position in the Diaspora. But over time, it became synonymous with "propaganda."
In 1974, following the Yom Kippur War, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin created a Ministry of Information, which he entrusted to General Aharon Yariv [2]. But the latter resigned seven months later and devoted himself to the creation of a prestigious think tank, the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies. It was not until 2006 that a "Ministry of Strategic Affairs and Hasbara" was again created (now the Ministry of Strategic Affairs and Public Diplomacy; a ministry that does not have a website and does not communicate, but which became famous in 2015 with its campaign against "the phenomena of delegitimization and boycotts against Israel", that is to say the "Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions" (BDS) movement). This discreet ministry created its own ארגון לא ממשלתי המאורגן על ידי הממשלה (non-governmental organization organized by the government) (sic), Kela Shlomo (Solomon's Sling) (later Concert, then Voices of Israel) led by Colonel Yossi Kuperwasser, Ambassadors Dore Gold and Ron Prosor and Brigadier Sima Vaknin Gill, former director of military censorship. Various companies (Black Cube, Psy-Group and Cyber Shield [3]) spied on BDS activists on behalf of Kela Shlomo [4].
In recent years, approximately $200 million a year, or four-fifths of the Ministry of Strategic Affairs and Public Diplomacy's budget, has been given to the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP). Ron Dermer, the current minister since 2022, was an advisor to Natan Sharansky and the author of his book, The Case for Democracy: The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny and Terror. He was entrusted by Benjamin Netanyahu in late 2023 with a plan to minimize the Palestinian population of Gaza [5].
Specifically, Sharansky is the president of ISGAP. He is a Ukrainian revisionist Zionist; a disciple of the other Ukrainian, Vladimir Jabotinsky. He played a central role in the fight against Russia during the USSR era. He was the main reference for Senator Henry M. Jackson's Straussians, emigrated to the United States, was awarded the Congressional Medal by Ronald Reagan, and became a minister under General Ariel Sharon. In 2001, he founded One Jerusalem, the association that campaigns to have Jerusalem recognized as the capital of the "Jewish state" alone (and not that of the Palestinian state). He now heads ISGAP and, in this capacity, oversees almost all of the hasbara.
Hasbara has won many battles. The latest for ISGAP was the US Congressional hearings of university rectors, which resulted in several resignations and sanctions against pro-Palestinian associations.
However, one cannot help but be surprised by the ineffectiveness of their international campaigns against anti-Semitism. Eighty years after the founding of the State of Israel, not only has the problem not been solved, but it has worsened [6]. During this time, machismo, homophobia and racism have considerably declined. It must be considered that anti-Semitism is a means of pressure by the Israeli authorities on their own population. Let us remember that the revisionist Zionists used anti-Semitism to advance their cause in the diaspora.
During his conference at the Israeli Consulate General in New York, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed that his country aims to control people under thirty-five via social networks [7].
According to YNetGlobal, he launched a campaign to take over social media and influence people under 25, "Project 545" [8]. It was entrusted to Havas Media Network, the company of Yannick Bolloré (son of Vincent Bolloré and husband of Chloé Bouygues). The latter awarded Clock Tower X LLC a $6 million contract to "provide strategic communications, planning and media services in support of Havas's commitment by the State of Israel to develop and execute a national campaign in the United States to combat anti-Semitism." Clock Tower is the company created by Brad Parscale after he left Donald Trump's campaign team.
According to a poll conducted for Israel in the United States, 47% of the population believes that the IDF is committing genocide.
The Israeli government's main idea is to influence the responses of artificial intelligence by creating a multitude of social media accounts that will provide the narrative that ChatGPT and its rivals will feed on.
"Project 545" is the code name for this operation, funded to the tune of NIS 545 million, or $145 million, by 2025. It ended Israel's contract with SKDKnickerbocker, the communications firm linked to the US Democratic Party.
According to Responsible Statecraft, the influencer network that Benjamin Netanyahu referred to during his speech at the Israeli Consulate General in New York was reportedly formed by Bridges Partners, the company owned by Yair Levi and Uri Steinberg. The campaign, titled Esther Project, has already cost $900,000. Fourteen to 18 influencers are believed to have published 75 to 90 posts during this period. The fees are being paid by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Three of the influencers have been identified. They are:
by Lizzy Savetsky, a prominent online defender of Israel since the beginning of the war;
of businessman Ari Ackerman, grandson of Israeli-American tycoon Meshulam Riklis;
and digital creator Zach Sage Fox.
Uri Steinberg, meanwhile, is a former senior official in the Israeli Ministry of Tourism. He works at Natan Sharansky's Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP).
A tax document allows Bridge Partners' overheads to be assessed [9].
Journalist Candace Owens, who relayed Xavier Poussard's revelations about Brigitte Macron's real identity, published screenshots of Charlie Kirk showing that his funding had been cut and that he had been threatened two days before being assassinated [10]. Charlie Kirk had just taken a stand against the massacres in Gaza.
During his speech in New York, Benjamin Netanyahu said: "The most important purchase that is being made is (...) TikTok. Number one. And I hope it goes through because it can be substantial. And the other one? X. We need to talk to Elon [Musk]. He's not an enemy, he's a friend. We should talk to him. Now, if we can achieve those two things, we will achieve a lot. We need to fight the fight, give direction to the Jewish people and give direction to our non-Jewish friends."
Billionaire Safra Catz became executive vice president of Larry Ellison's Oracle when it acquired 45% of the social network TikTok on September 25. She said, "We need to integrate love and respect for Israel into American culture." Oracle will store TikTok's US user data on its cloud computers.
At the same time, the Israeli Foreign Ministry has just created the company Show Faith by Work, which it has registered as a foreign agent of influence in the United States [11]. This time, the aim is to disseminate the official version of the October 7 attack and messages against the existence of a Palestinian state to all American Christian Zionists. A budget of 3.2 million dollars has been planned, including the rental of a caravan which will allow propaganda films to be shown during Christian gatherings.
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[1 ] "Public diplomacy in army boots: the chronic failure of Israel's Hasbara", Gal Hadari & Asaf Turgeman, Hasbara, Israel Affairs, 24:3, 482-499 (2018), DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2018.1455374.
[2 ] Israel's Public Diplomacy. The Problems of Hasbara, 1966-1975, Jonathan Cumming, Rowman & Littelfield (2016).
[3 ] " Spying on Linda Sarsour: Israeli Firm Compiled BDS Dossier for Adelson-funded US Group Battling Her Campus Appearances ", Uri Blau, Haaretz, May 28, 2018.
[4 ] " BDS is a dirty business. Those who battle it on Israel's behalf must stay clean ", David Horovitz, The Times of Israel, June 17, 2018.
[5 ] " Netanyahu's Goal for Gaza:"Thin"Population"to a Minimum" ", Ryan Grim, The Intercept, December 3, 2023.
[6 ] Acting Propaganda: Viewpoints from Israel, Ron Schleifer & Jessica Snapper, Sussex Academic Press (2015).
[7 ] " @MiddleEastEye ", X, September 27, 2025.
[8 ] " Report: Israel to spend over half a billion shekels turning ChatGPT into public diplomacy tool ", Daniel Edelson & Raphael Kahan, YNetGlobal, October 6, 2025.
[9 ] " NSD/FARA Registration Unit ", September 26, 2025.
[10 ] " Turning Point USA responds: Yes, The Text Messages Are Real " Candace Owens Ep 249, YouTube, October 7, 2025.
[11 ] " Israel wants to hire Chris Pratt and Steph Curr ", Nick Cleveland-Stout, Responsible Statecraft, October 07, 2025.