6/25/2024–|Last updated: 6/25/202402:15 PM (Mecca time)
The British newspaper The Guardian published an investigative report on the Israeli government’s efforts to confront voices opposing its war in the Gaza Strip, especially in American universities, and launched a campaign to influence public opinion in the United States.
She pointed out that last November, the Israeli Knesset summoned Equality Minister Amichai Shekli (42 years old) – whom she describes as reckless – to inform representatives of what could be done regarding the escalation of the phenomenon of hostility towards Israel among young people throughout the United States, especially in elite universities. .
Shikli said before the parliament session, “I have said it before, and I say it again today: We should, in my belief, be on the offensive, especially in the United States.”
Concert
Since then, Shekli has led a campaign targeting Israel’s critics. The Guardian newspaper revealed evidence showing how Israel relaunched a controversial entity known as “Concert,” as part of a broader public relations campaign targeting American universities and redefining anti-Semitism in American law.
The Israeli minister assured parliamentarians that there was new money in the budget allocated to the campaign to confront Israel’s critics, which was separate from traditional public relations and paid advertising content produced by the government.
He added that the campaign includes 80 programs that have already been launched in order to strengthen efforts to defend Israel in a harmonious manner.
The Guardian reported that the Concert programme, which the Israeli government initially called Kela Shlomo, was designed for what Tel Aviv called “mass consciousness-shaping activities” largely aimed at the United States and Europe.
She pointed out that Concert – now known as “Voices of Israel” – had previously worked with groups leading a campaign against the boycott of Israel movement to pass laws in every state that would punish Americans participating in boycotts or other non-violent protests against Israel.
The investigative report also revealed that, during the period from October to last May, Shikli supervised at least 32 million shekels, or about 8.6 million dollars, spent on the Israeli government’s efforts to reformulate the public debate.
Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Politics
It did not take long for the Institute for the Study of Global Anti-Semitism and Policy – which is among the American groups working in close coordination with the Israeli Ministry of Equality – to achieve a “major victory,” according to the British newspaper.
This alleged victory was exemplified by a congressional hearing last December on anti-Semitism among student anti-war demonstrators in Gaza, where several Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives explicitly cited the institute’s research during their questioning of university presidents.
The session ended in a confrontation between Representative Elise Stefanik and the then-president of Harvard University, Claudine Gay, who later resigned after a wave of criticism.
According to The Guardian, the Institute for the Study of Global Anti-Semitism and Politics has continued to influence congressional investigations of universities over allegations that protests over Israel’s human rights record are motivated by anti-Semitism.
The Institute was strongly involved in the campaign to enact new laws that redefine anti-Semitism to include certain forms of speech critical of the people of Israel.
Other groups
The newspaper reported that among other American groups linked to “Voices of Israel” is the National Council for Black Empowerment, which published an open letter signed by black Democratic politicians pledging solidarity with Israel.
Another pro-Israel group called CyberWell, led by former Israeli military intelligence officials and Israel Voices, has positioned itself as a “trusted” partner for TikTok and Meta to help them vet and edit content.
Indeed, in a recent report, CyberWhale called on the Meta social media platform to black out the popular slogan, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be liberated.”
Secret pressure
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz and the American New York Times recently revealed that Shikli’s ministry used a public relations company to secretly pressure American lawmakers.
The company also used hundreds of fake accounts that published pro-Israel or anti-Muslim content on the X platforms (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.
Israel’s Diaspora Ministry denied involvement in the campaign, which reportedly provided about $2 million to an Israeli company in exchange for social media posts.
The Guardian: It is very difficult to find a foreign country that influences political debate in the United States as much as Israel does
The Guardian’s investigative report reviewed recent government hearings, Israeli company files, procurement documents and other public records.
While many organizations devoted to pro-Israel advocacy are primarily funded by individuals and private foundations, likely without outside direction, records indicate significant Israeli government involvement in U.S. policy on the Gaza war, free speech on college campuses, and Israeli-Palestinian policy.
The newspaper quoted Eli Clifton – a senior advisor at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Government – as saying: “There is a focus on monitoring American discourse about the relationship between the United States and Israel, and even the dialogues taking place in Israel and the statements of its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the university campus.”
He added that one finds it very difficult to find a foreign country that works to influence political debate in the United States as Israel does.