Israel targets US in secret influence campaign
The campaign hit US lawmakers with pro-Israel and anti-Muslim messaging
![People hold signs and flags during 'March For Israel' at the National Mall](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WSuPrLwK8AzkGAGAGZwnqD-415-80.jpg)
What happened
Israel organized and funded a covert influence campaign targeting U.S. lawmakers and the American public with pro-Israel and anti-Muslim messaging through fake news and social media accounts, The New York Times and Haaretz said Wednesday. Documents show Israel's Ministry of Diaspora Affairs hired the Tel Aviv marketing firm Stoic after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack. Its campaign mainly targeted Black Democratic lawmakers and young progressives.
Who said what
Stoic's AI-driven effort was "sloppy" and "didn’t have a widespread impact," but it "signals the lengths Israel was willing to go to sway American opinion on the war in Gaza," the Times said.
"Israel's role in this is reckless and probably ineffective," said Achiya Schatz at FakeReporter, the Israeli misinformation watchdog that uncovered the operation, to the Times. The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs denied involvement. But one Israeli intelligence source told Haaretz "it's not surprising" that one of the subcontractors Israel hired to get "digital content up very fast" after Oct. 7 "was caught in the end."
What next?
Meta said last week it took down hundreds of Facebook and Instagram accounts tied to the operation, but it "remains active on the platform X," the Times said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
12 recent scientific breakthroughs
In Depth From cell reparation to reef restoration
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Will Biden's courtship of seniors make a difference in November?
Today's Big Question The president is losing ground with young voters, but working to make it up with people closer to his age
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Extreme weather events in the last year
In Depth These events are becoming more common thanks to climate change, and are "affecting every corner of the world"
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Putin visits North Korea amid hunt for weapons
Speed Read Russian President Vladimir Putin has thanked North Korea for supporting his war in Ukraine
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine peace summit gets mixed support
Speed Read Most participants signed a statement backing Ukraine’s territorial integrity, but some key countries resisted
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden warns of more Trump Supreme Court picks
Speed Read President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama discussed the repercussions of a second Trump term at a fundraiser
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'America's adversaries don't share the dream of a nuclear-free world'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Trump visits GOP Capitol Hill, trashes Milwaukee
Speed Read The presidential candidate made a series of odd comments while meeting with House and Senate Republicans
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court rejects abortion pill challenge
Speed Read Access to mifepristone has been preserved, though some think it is only a temporary victory
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
G7 summit opens with Russian cash for Kyiv
Speed Read Leaders from the G7 group agreed to give Ukraine $50B backed by frozen Russian assets
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Top Sunak aide Craig Williams bet on general election date
Speed Read Parliamentary private secretary to the PM apologises for £100 'flutter' as gambling watchdog inquiry gets underway
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published