Israel has engaged at least three public relations firms to enhance its online image and influence the U.S. Christian right, according to filings under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). These documents, obtained from the U.S. Department of Justice, reveal that the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs has enlisted the services of Bridges Partners, Show Faith by Works, and Clock Tower X through the European Havas Media Group.
Each of these companies is tasked with improving Israel’s perception among key demographics, particularly young right-wing and Evangelical voters in the United States. Polling data indicates that support for Israel among these groups has been declining due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, which has resulted in over 68,000 Palestinian deaths.
The Israeli government is acutely aware of the need to shape public perception of its military actions, especially among allies and supporters in the U.S. A study published by the Al Jazeera Centre for Studies in May revealed a coordinated social media campaign aimed at influencing international opinion during the war, which began in October 2023.
While traditional U.S. media outlets initially provided favorable coverage, Israel struggled on social media, where videos depicting the devastation in Gaza gained widespread attention, generating sympathy for Palestinians. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has acknowledged the power of social media as a tool in shaping public sentiment, referring to it as a “weapon” in his efforts to maintain support.
In an earlier interaction, Netanyahu was asked about the potential impact of Charlie Kirk’s assassination on evangelical support for Israel. He emphasized the importance of social media platforms, noting the significance of the recent acquisition of TikTok by a pro-Israel consortium.
Show Faith by Works, one of the PR firms hired by Israel, has been contracted for a $3.2 million outreach and digital targeting campaign. The firm aims to foster positive associations with Israel in U.S. churches and portray the Palestinian population as “extremist.” It also plans what it calls the “10/7 Experience,” a mobile event featuring virtual reality and interactive displays of the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, which resulted in 1,139 deaths and the capture of approximately 250 people.
The company also intends to involve Christian celebrities such as actors Chris Pratt and Jon Voight, both of whom have expressed support for former President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, Clock Tower X, another firm, claims to be targeting Gen Z audiences through platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, as well as AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok. Its goal is to combat anti-Semitism, a term often used by the Israeli government to counter criticism of its actions in Gaza.
Experts warn that these campaigns could manipulate online narratives by flooding information spaces with content sympathetic to Israel. Marc Owen Jones, an associate professor of media analytics at Northwestern University Qatar, explained that artificial intelligence models like ChatGPT and Gemini use retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), which incorporates contemporary data from websites and social media. By saturating these platforms with pro-Israel content, such campaigns may create ambiguity around the conflict.
Clock Tower X, led by former Trump aide Brad Parscale, has also partnered with Salem Media, a right-wing Christian network that recently announced a strategic alliance with Donald Trump Jr. and Lara Trump. This collaboration suggests a broader effort to align messaging across conservative media channels.
Bridges Partners, the third firm, has drawn significant attention for its approach of engaging between 14 and 18 influencers to promote Israel’s narrative online. Responsible Statecraft, an online magazine, found that these influencers were likely paid around $7,000 per post, leading to widespread criticism and the creation of memes mocking the arrangement. The anonymity of these influencers has raised concerns about potential legal violations if their identities remain undisclosed.
Currently, the FARA filing only names one registered foreign agent associated with Bridges Partners: Uri Steinberg, who holds a 50% stake in the company. While the effectiveness of these campaigns remains uncertain, the backlash they have generated highlights the challenges Israel faces in reshaping public perception, particularly among younger generations.
Experts caution that no amount of artificial data can fully counter the volume of factual reporting on the conflict. However, there is concern that these efforts may succeed in creating a sense of ambiguity, presenting both sides of the conflict as more balanced or justifying Israel’s response to the October 7 attack.
Al Jazeera has not yet received responses from Bridges Partners, Clock Tower X, or Show Faith by Works. Inquiries to the Israeli chief of staff at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Eran Shayovich, and to Havas Media Group have also remained unanswered.
In part two of this investigation, to be published on Friday, Al Jazeera will explore why Israel is so focused on changing perceptions of itself in the United States.
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