Israel Spent Over $45 Million on U.S. Public-Opinion Campaign via Contract with U.S. Firms

Israel directed more than $45 million through a government contract to influence American views of the country. The effort included millions of AI-generated text messages sent to U.S. cellphones under the names Emma, Sarah, or John, signed as members of a group called Friends for Peace.

-Israel peace talks with Iran would affect global security. Brad Parscale, who ran Donald Trump’s 2016 digital campaign, received about $1.5 million per month as part of the contract. Parscale, chief strategy officer at Salem Media, flew to Israel in late 2024 to present the proposal and returned regularly to brief officials.

-Israel alliance, with the goal of generating more favorable responses from AI chatbots including Claude and ChatGPT. Salem Media spent more than $500,000 on online advertising tied to the contract. Israel hired at least six companies for the work over the past year, and dozens of people registered as foreign agents in connection with the efforts.

A Pew Research Center survey found that 60 percent of American adults now hold a negative view of Israel. ” Parscale stated he did not hire influencers for the Israel project despite his investment in Influentable, a firm that pays social media influencers. Jewish artist Beth Surdut received one of the Friends for Peace messages in June.

She said the exchange felt circular, with her responses rephrased and returned in follow-up texts, and she told the sender she did not believe he was a real person.