News|Israel-Palestine conflictSpinning genocide: How is Israel using US PR firms to frame its Gaza war?Israel has contracted three US public relations companies to help it win back American hearts and minds.
Israel has contracted at least three public relations companies to bolster its image online and among the United States’ Christian right, filings under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) show.
Israel has contracted at least three public relations companies to bolster its image online and among the United States’ Christian right, filings under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) show.
According to US Department of Justice records, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs hired the newly established Bridges Partners, the Christian PR agency Show Faith by Works, and the online consultancy Clock Tower X via the European Havas Media Group.
Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Analysis: America’s 51st state? US pressure comes to bear on Israellist 2 of 4Israel committed “genocide” under Netanyahu’s rulelist 3 of 4US public opinion on Israel is changing, US policy will have to as welllist 4 of 4What if… the US stopped supporting Israel tomorrow?end of list All of the companies contracted promise to help bolster the country’s online image and restore support among young right-wing and Evangelical US voters that polling suggests is haemorrhaging as a result of Israel’s war on Gaza.
Israel is acutely conscious of the need to control how its war, in which it has killed more than 68,000 Palestinians, is perceived by its allies and sponsors in the US .
Israel has contracted at least three public relations companies to bolster its image online and among the United States’ Christian right, filings under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) show.
A study of Israel’s online activity published by the Al Jazeera Centre for Studies in May found a coordinated social media campaign to sway international sympathies in its favour throughout the conflict, which began in October 2023.
But while Israel was able to garner favourable coverage from traditional US media outlets in the early months of the war, it was losing the battle on social media, where videos revealing the mass killing and devastation in Gaza were going viral, and generating sympathy for the Palestinians.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recognised this, referring to social media as a “weapon” in Israel’s campaign to shore up support in the US – and saying that the purchase of TikTok by a consortium led by pro-Israel billionaires was a “most important purchase”.
I had the honor of asking Bibi Netanyahu about Charlie Kirk’s assassination & the potential loss of evangelical support for the state of Israel.
Based on reporting by Al Jazeera.
