Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Anti-Semitism

History

2024: Paying for propaganda using fake social media accounts to get guns from the US

The Israeli Ministry of Diaspora Affairs organized a campaign in the United States to increase support for hostilities in the Gaza Strip and receive military assistance from the United States. The campaign included the use of fake social media accounts to post pro-Israel posts, sources said. This was reported in early June 2024 by The New York Times.

The Israeli ministry has allocated about $2 million for this campaign, organized by Stoic, a political marketing company. The essence of the operation was to distribute pro-Israel publications through fake accounts in X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram (owned by Meta, which was recognized as extremist and banned in Russia). According to The New York Times, Stoic has also created three fake news sites rewriting American media material to promote Israel's position .

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According to campaigners, most of the posts were written using ChatGPT's chatbot. Social media experts noted that this is the first documented operation by the Israeli authorities aimed at influencing the US government.

According to Gallup polls, 55% of Americans disapprove of Israel's military actions in Gaza, and 75% of members of the US Democratic Party oppose Israel's actions in the region. This information highlights the need for such a campaign to increase support among American lawmakers and the public.

According to The New York Times, the situation in the Middle East escalated after an attack by armed Hamas supporters on Israeli territory on October 7, 2023, which led to the death of residents and the seizure of more than 240 hostages. In response, Israel announced a complete blockade of Gaza and began to strike the sector, as well as areas of Lebanon and Syria, which led to the start of a ground operation in the enclave.^[1]

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