Thousands of Jewish and Israeli Americans participate in the annual Israel Day Parade, the world’s largest pro-Israel parade, on May 31, in New York City. Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who did not attend the march, is the first New York mayor not to do so. (photo credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
'Israel' spends $50M to influence US public opinion by AI
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
The 'Israeli' government scaled up its foreign influence operations in the United States, spending an all-time high of roughly $730 million on "hasbara" (public diplomacy) in 2026, according to reports from the Wall Street Journal and Time Magazine.
The massive budget -more than four times the $150 million allocated in 2025 and over 20 times the historical average- comes as Tel Aviv battles an uphill public relations crisis in America.
Data from a July Pew Research Center poll revealed that 42% of American adults hold an unfavorable view of the 'Israeli' people, while a staggering 69% hold an unfavorable opinion of the 'Israeli' government.
AI operations
At the center of 'Israel’s' US push is former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale, now chief strategy officer at the conservative Christian media conglomerate Salem Media Network.
The WSJ reported that Parscale was paid over $45 million to orchestrate a multi-layered campaign to bolster 'Israel’s' standing.
At least three dozen marketing professionals have recently registered as foreign agents for 'Israel' to support these expanded networks.
The contract focuses heavily on integrating narrative messaging across Salem Media properties, which host prominent conservative pundits such as Lara Trump, Hugh Hewitt, and Scott Jennings.
While Salem's CEO David Santrella insisted their hosts are not paid to read scripts, officials acknowledged the funds were used to purchase over half a million dollars in network advertisements.
Beyond traditional media, Parscale’s firm, Clock Tower X, partnered with global ad agency Havas to produce 100 original pieces of content monthly, with 80% specifically optimized for Gen Z audiences on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and podcasts.
According to leaked documents, Parscale promised the campaign would generate 50 million digital impressions per month. Crucially, the operation explicitly aimed to influence how major artificial intelligence models -including OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude, and Google’s Gemini- characterized 'Israel' and the war.
The campaign also deployed AI-generated text bots to thousands of US citizens to deduce voter concerns regarding 'Israel' and automatically counter them, directing users to custom-built websites like Allyvia.org.
Targeting young conservatives, megachurches
An 'Israeli' Foreign Ministry source told Time that a primary objective of Parscale’s hiring was to prevent "young conservatives from turning against Israel."
Parscale denied parts of the reporting, telling Time he had "never funded, organized, or participated in any effort to undermine President Trump," including Trump's recent ceasefire proposals or Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
However, 'Israel's' outreach extends far beyond Parscale. Documents outline a $3 million digital geofencing campaign by a group called "Show Faith by Works," aimed at sending pro-'Israel' messaging to 4 million megachurch members and Christian college students in the American Southwest.
The initial plans aimed to link the Palestinian population with extremist factions and sought endorsements from high-profile figures like actor Chris Pratt and NBA star Steph Curry, though the group's founder, Chad Schnitger, later claimed they pivoted toward building a mobile museum.
The report also noted that 'Israeli' contractors have quietly paid lifestyle and political influencers across both the Left and Right spectrums -including Christian influencers Stefanie and Caleb Rouse, who reportedly received $4,500 for "strategic marketing promotion"- to subtly shift the cultural narrative ahead of the critical US midterm elections this September.
