The Guardian reveals Israeli pressure to silence opposing voices in US
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The Guardian reveals documents exposing Israeli attempts to revive a contentious corporation as part of a larger public relations operation to target US college campuses and redefine antisemitism in US law.
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Por-Palestine protests on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin, US (undated, AFP)
"Israel" has revived a contentious entity as part of a larger public relations operation to target US college campuses and redefine antisemitism in US law, The Guardian revealed through evidence it has uncovered recently.
Amichai Chikli, a Likud minister in the Israeli government, briefed the Israeli parliament in November about possible responses to anti-war protests across the US. He stated that the occupation should be "on the offensive," telling members of the Israeli Knesset that there was funding for a pushback effort independent of the occupation government's typical public relations and paid advertising.
He explained that it comprised 80 initiatives currently in progress for lobbying activities "to be done in the 'Concert' way," referring to a massive relaunch of an Israeli government program known as Kela Shlomo, which "Israel" calls "mass consciousness activities" aimed primarily at the US and Europe.
Now known as Voices of Israel, it formerly collaborated with groups leading a push to enact so-called anti-BDS state legislation that penalizes Americans who engage in boycotts or other nonviolent actions against "Israel".
From October to May, Chikli oversaw at least $8.6 million in government campaigning to recast the public discourse surrounding "Israel".
In December, numerous House Republicans openly cited the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) findings in their questioning of university presidents. The ISGAP has also been heavily involved in the campaign to enshrine new laws that redefine antisemitism to include some criticism of "Israel".
Other American organizations affiliated with Voices have undertaken a variety of measures to increase support for the occupation. The National Black Empowerment Council (NBEC) wrote an open statement from Black Democratic lawmakers vowing solidarity with "Israel", and another entity CyberWell, run by former Israeli military intelligence and Voices officers, has established itself as an official "trusted partner" of TikTok and Meta, assisting both social platforms in screening and editing material, suggesting that Meta should ban the phrase "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free."
None of the aforementioned groups are registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (Fara), compelling them to disclose to the US Department of Justice receiving funds from foreign nations.
Last month, the House of Representatives passed legislation to update the definition of antisemitism for the enforcement of federal anti-discrimination laws concerning educational programs.
The updated definition will adopt the definition of antisemitism created by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). If eventually enforced, the definition would mark a grave turn of events for American citizens and residents opposing the Israeli occupation. The IHRA has spread dangerous rhetoric in which any action against the "state of Israel" would be considered anti-semitism.
'Israel' covertly tries to sway US lawmakers via fake accounts: NYT
"Israel" launched and funded an influence campaign last year targeting America and its lawmakers via pro-"Israel" propaganda to garner support for its genocide in Gaza, as confirmed by The New York Times, citing officials involved in the effort and documents related to the operation.
Four Israeli officials revealed that the campaign was commissioned by "Israel’s" Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, noting that it designated around $2 million for it and hired a political marketing firm in Tel Aviv called Stoic.
It began mere weeks after October 7 and remains active on the platform X, as it used hundreds of fake accounts posing as real Americans on X, Facebook, and Instagram to spread pro-"Israel" content. The accounts focused on US lawmakers, especially African Americans, and Democrats, such as Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader from New York, and Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia.
Many fake accounts were even posed as American students and worried citizens to gain more sympathy.
The NYT report notes that ChatGPT was used to generate several of the posts for the operation that also generated three fake English-language news sites with names like Non-Agenda and UnFold Magazine, which stole and rephrased content from outlets such as CNN and The Wall Street Journal, according to an analysis by FakeReporter (an Israeli misinformation watchdog).
According to FakeReporter, the accounts garnered more than 40,000 followers across all platforms, but many of the followers may have been bots.
Social media experts reveal that this is the first documented case of "Israel" organizing a campaign to influence the US, and even though organized government-backed campaigns are not unusual, they are still difficult to prove.
Achiya Schatz, the executive director of FakeReporter, said, “Israel’s role in this is reckless and probably ineffective,” noting that "Israel" “ran an operation that interferes in US politics is extremely irresponsible.”
