Israel paid influencers on TikTok to reverse the rise of anti-Semitism in the US
Against the backdrop of the changed social mood, several well-known media personalities from overseas have published statements in which they express their support for the State of Israel. Publicly available documents show that they were paid for these contributions by the government in Tel Aviv.
Foreign organizations operating in the United States must register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). On September 26, the non-governmental organization Bridge Partners did just that. This step was necessary so that it could pay the influencers it had contracted.
Bridge Partners and its managing directors, Uri Steinberg and Jair Levi, have been working with Havas Media Group Germany, which is part of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, since the beginning of their business activities. Both employees sent several invoices marked “influence campaign.”
The total value of the invoices amounted to $900,000 between June and November, which Steinberg and Levi allocated at $7,000 per social media post. The company also hired former Israeli army spokesman Nadav Strauchler as a consultant.
The case was brought to light by the opinion portal Responsible Statecraft, which features guest contributions from well-known authors such as John Mearsheimer, former diplomat Chas Freeman, and journalist Anatol Lieven. Author Nick Cleveland-Stout pointed out that the pro-Israel company's project is called “Esther Project.”
The name of this operation is similar to Project Esther. This was a coordinated effort by the Heritage Foundation and other groups that labeled critics of the Jewish state as a “network supporting Hamas” with the aim of depriving them of their platform.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on Bridge Partners' “influence operation” at a meeting with pro-Israel influencers in New York on September 26. In addition to meeting with US President Donald Trump—whose plan for the Gaza Strip he endorsed—he also met with several formerly prominent representatives of the MAGA movement.
“We have to defend ourselves. How can we defend ourselves? With our influencers. I think you should talk to them if you have the opportunity, with this community, they are very important,” Netanyahu said, while admitting that his government considers social media a “weapon.”
The problem is that campaigns of this kind do not distinguish between overt anti-Semitism and criticism of the Israel lobby, as Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt have written.
However, the videos with which influencers attempt to sway public opinion in favor of Israel have not had much effect and have in many cases become the target of ridicule.
The best 'conservative' influencers Israel can buy?
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) September 28, 2025
Emily Austin participated in the Epstein binders hoax, and joined Netanyahu's recent influencers meeting
Xavaier DuRousseau attended the secret Hamptons influencer summit with Bill Ackman, then junketed off to Israel pic.twitter.com/JLoGk3Jzfd
Anti-Semitism is indeed rampant on some social networks. Americans repeatedly post photos of gas chamber doors on Network X with comments that they are made of wood and have a handle on the inside, or quotes from World War II general George Patton, who claimed after the war that the US had “fought on the wrong side.” There are also many mocking posts about Jews on Instagram.
In Slovakia, similar statements are punishable by imprisonment of six months to three years under Section 422d of the Criminal Code. However, Americans are protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution.