Israel Furious as US Public Support Plummets Despite $1.5 Million Monthly Campaign

Israeli officials are reportedly furious that a campaign to influence American public opinion has failed to stem the erosion of support for Israel among young US conservatives, despite Israel spending US$1.5 million (Rp 26.8 billion) per month on the effort. Although millions of American dollars were poured into targeting the MAGA (Make America Great Again) base, shaping narratives on social media, and influencing AI platforms, as reported by Middle East Monitor on Friday (17/7/2026), poll results show that US public support for Israel continues to plummet. An investigative report published by TIME magazine revealed the campaign conducted by Israel to prevent young conservatives in the US from turning against them. Although publicly presented as a campaign to combat anti-Semitism, according to TIME, the broader strategic goal was to maintain support for Israel among right-wing groups in the US, who are increasingly critical of Israel and Washington’s involvement in a regional war involving Israel. Official documents filed under the Foreign Agents Registration Act show that global advertising agency Havas hired Brad Parscale’s firm, the former campaign manager for President Donald Trump, in September 2025 to run the digital campaign on behalf of Israel. The deal required the firm to produce 100 original pieces of content each month, with at least 80 percent targeting Generation Z audiences via TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and podcasts. The campaign promised at least 50 million digital impressions per month and included efforts to influence AI tools—including ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini—to present information about Israel and its wars. It was revealed in April that Israel had paid US$9 million (Rp 161.2 billion) to Parscale and renewed his contract. The contract covered digital advertising, text message outreach, and efforts to ensure pro-Israel material appeared at the top of online sources used by AI systems. Three sources familiar with the Israeli campaign disclosed that conservative influencers received pre-written talking points via private group chats and were compensated based on the reach and engagement of their posts. It is not known exactly how much influencers involved in the campaign were paid. TIME reviewed messages from a similar campaign offering a base payment of US$2,250 (Rp 40 million) plus additional payments based on views, allowing influencers to receive US$4,250 (Rp 76 million) for a single post. Despite the massive spending, Israeli officials are dissatisfied with the results. “We are upset with Brad Parscale. He was supposed to make things better. We paid him a lot of money. But what did he do with the money? The situation has only gotten worse,” an unnamed Israeli Foreign Ministry official told TIME. The latest polls show Israel has failed to reverse the declining trend in US public support. The Pew Research Center reported in April that 60 percent of Americans view Israel negatively, up from 53 percent in 2025 and 42 percent in 2022. Among Republicans aged 18-49, 57 percent of respondents held a negative view of Israel, an increase from 50 percent the previous year.