In an era where social media shapes global perceptions faster than any diplomat’s speech, the Israeli government has weaponized influencers to wage a digital war on public opinion. Dubbed the “Esther Project,” this multimillion-dollar initiative—funded by U.S. taxpayer dollars funneled back to Israel—pays American content creators up to $7,000 per post to flood platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and X with pro-Israel messaging.
Amid international condemnation for its protracted war in Gaza, which has drawn accusations of genocide from United Nations investigators and human rights groups, Israel has opted not for de-escalation but for deflection. This campaign, exposed through U.S. Department of Justice filings under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), reveals a troubling evasion of transparency laws, raising alarms about foreign meddling in American democracy.
The Esther Project emerged from a desperate bid to reclaim narrative control. As polls show U.S. support for Israel cratering—especially among young conservatives and Gen Z—Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has openly declared social media the “eighth front” in his nation’s conflicts.
In September 2025, Netanyahu hosted a secretive meeting with pro-Israel influencers at the Israeli Consulate in New York, urging them to “fight back” against shifting sentiments. This wasn’t grassroots advocacy; it was a scripted operation. Documents filed on September 26, 2025, by Bridges Partners LLC—a firm founded in June 2025 by Israeli consultants Uri Steinberg and Yair Levi—detail a $900,000 contract routed through Havas Media Group in Germany. The funds originate from Israel’s Ministry of Strategic Affairs, part of a staggering $150 million annual public diplomacy budget boosted twentyfold in late 2024.
Under the project, 14 to 18 U.S.-based influencers—many with millions of followers—are recruited in phases, each tasked with producing 25 to 30 posts per month. Payments break down to $6,100–$7,300 per piece of content, covering scripting, production, and dissemination. After administrative costs like legal fees and agency overhead, approximately $552,946 went directly to influencers from June to September 2025 alone.
Officially framed as “promoting cultural interchange between the United States and Israel,” the reality is far more targeted: whitewashing atrocities in Gaza, conflating criticism of Israeli policies with antisemitism, and bolstering support for unchecked U.S. aid. This isn’t cultural exchange—it’s astroturfed propaganda, designed to drown out Palestinian voices and manipulate algorithms for maximum reach.
At its core, the Esther Project exploits a loophole in America’s safeguards against foreign influence. The Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 requires anyone acting “at the order, request, or under the direction” of a foreign principal to register with the DOJ, disclose funding sources, and label disseminated materials as foreign-sponsored.
Russia and China comply—or face sanctions—ensuring transparency in their influence efforts, from RT broadcasts to Confucius Institutes. FARA doesn’t prohibit advocacy; it demands sunlight, allowing Americans to discern paid persuasion from organic opinion. Yet Israel’s operation skirts these rules. Only Steinberg, a Bridges co-owner, has registered; the influencers themselves have not. Searches on major platforms reveal no disclaimers on related content, a blatant violation per FARA experts. “Anyone distributing propaganda aimed at a U.S. audience on behalf of a foreign government must disclose it,” one anonymous specialist told Responsible Statecraft. Without registration, viewers are left in the dark, mistaking sponsored spin for authentic endorsement.
For the American participants, this isn’t just unethical—it’s perilously close to treasonous. U.S. citizens accepting foreign directives to shape domestic policy betray their oath to prioritize American interests. Treason, under Article III of the Constitution, involves levying war against the U.S. or aiding its enemies; while this falls short legally, it erodes the republic’s foundations by subverting free discourse and foreign policy.
These influencers, often conservative voices with ties to MAGA circles, are not neutral commentators—they’re mercenaries in a foreign pay grade, potentially influencing elections, aid packages, and public support for endless Middle East entanglements. Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene decried it as “disturbing,” insisting on FARA compliance, while former Rep. Matt Gaetz called it an agenda-driven ploy amid Gaza’s horrors. The scandal echoes broader concerns:
In 2025, the Trump administration approved $38 billion in military aid to Israel, making it the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. assistance since World War II—over $318 billion adjusted for inflation. Taxpayers fund the bombs; now, they’re subsidizing the spin.
Israel’s indifference to cost underscores the rot. At $7,000 per post for perhaps 75–90 pieces through November, the return on investment is dismal—pennies per impression in a sea of counter-narratives. But it’s not Israel’s money at risk; it’s ours. This is the third year of a war that has killed tens of thousands, mostly women and children, per Gaza health authorities, drawing global backlash from protests to ICC warrants. Rather than heed calls for ceasefire from allies like the EU and even former Israeli PM Naftali Bennett—who lambasted his government’s “leper state” image—Jerusalem doubles down on deception.
The Esther Project complements broader efforts, like Project 545’s $145 million AI manipulation scheme via Trump ally Brad Parscale’s firm, which tweaks ChatGPT responses and floods conservative media. Together, they form a hydra of influence: influencers for the grassroots facade, algorithms for the shadows.
The implications extend beyond one conflict. If Israel can flout FARA with impunity—despite U.S. laws applying equally to all nations—why can’t adversaries like Iran or North Korea? Enforcement has weakened; Attorney General Pam Bondi disbanded the DOJ’s Foreign Influence Task Force on her first day, gutting criminal probes. WikiLeaks’ leaks and independent journalism have pierced the veil, but accountability lags. Congress must revive oversight, mandate influencer disclosures, and audit aid strings to prevent taxpayer dollars from buying silence. Americans deserve truth, not transactions. As Netanyahu’s digital soldiers march on, the real battle is for the soul of informed consent—before foreign shekels turn our feeds into foreign fronts.
I’d heard before that the government was using taxpayer money to manipulate social media, and maybe even illegally. This isn’t “cultural exchange” at all—it’s straight-up propaganda. After reading news like this, you really have to be careful about what you see, or it’s easy to get played.