Israel dumps millions into geo targeting evangelicals in churches and ChatGPT

The interesting thing here is that this is a concrete example of how you cant really trust the impression you get from your information feed. Its tampered with by corporations/governments who have an agenda.

The attention economy has been hijacked to manipulate people

> This includes the largest U.S. geofencing operation, mapping perimeters of major churches and Christian colleges in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Colorado during worship hours to identify 8 million churchgoers and 4 million students via commercial data for continued ad targeting.

Previously: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45848001 (original source)

That’s America’s money under a curtain!!

"Search and Language Operation" to influence Google search results and generative AI responses from ChatGPT and Claude, representing the first documented state attempt to shape chatbot framing on Israel-Palestine issues.“

[Drumrolls]

Aaaaaad... flagged.

The support of Israel relies on two things: the Holocaust and the old Testament.

The attention economy has been hijacked to manipulate people

> The attention economy has been hijacked to manipulate people

This statement seems to imply that the attention economy and manipulation are somehow separate things. The attention economy IS people manipulation.

The support of Israel relies on two things: the Holocaust and the old Testament.

Actually it’s the New Testament. Evangelicals believe that if Isreal doesn’t exist, Jesus won’t have a place to come back to when the rapture happens.

I just finished _Culture In Nazi Germany_ by Michael H. Kater. [0]

Near the end it goes into percentages of which counties Jews moved to and why during their immigration. A good portion of the UK was antisemitic, along with a number of other countries, and didn't want them moving to their country.

UK colonized part of Palestine at the time and pushed Jews to move there. Only the most devoted that wanted to be closer to their religious holy land went because the only work at the time was farming. Ones that wanted to maintain living off their crafts; acting, music, writing moved else where.

UK's antisemitic view actually help create Israel and push for the Zionist movement.

One of the most surprising aspects is that a number of Jewish immigrants actually supported fascism and told themself that it just was not implemented right. It wasn't until the 1960s when the views changed to fascism is bad.

Warning, the book is very dry and goes into detail of what happened to famous actors, writers, and musicians.

[0] https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300253375/culture-in-naz...

> The support of Israel relies on two things: the Holocaust and the old Testament.

Come on. Geopolitically, Israel is an important pillar.

The V-Dem Democracy indices ranked in 2024 Iraq, Israel, Mauritania and Tunisia as the Middle Eastern and North African countries with the highest democracy scores. The Economist Group's Democracy Index rated in the region Israel as the only "flawed democracy" and no country as "full democracy" for year 2023.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_in_the_Middle_East_a...

Previously: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45848001 (original source)

[Drumrolls]

Aaaaaad... flagged.

That’s America’s money under a curtain!!

Actually it’s the New Testament. Evangelicals believe that if Isreal doesn’t exist, Jesus won’t have a place to come back to when the rapture happens.

That's an absurdly blanket statement to make about what evangelicals believe. Some may believe that, but there is an incredibly wide spectrum of beliefs even amongst evangelicals about end times events and the role Israel plays.

> The support of Israel relies on two things: the Holocaust and the old Testament.

Come on. Geopolitically, Israel is an important pillar.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_in_the_Middle_East_a...

This "only democracy in the region" line gets trotted out, but most Palestinians don't get a vote in the government that controls their lives. So "democracy" in the sense that Apartheid South Africa was a democracy, only.

Does it matter? A country being allied with the US seems to have little to do with whether it's a democracy, see e.g. Taiwan and South Korea during the dictatorship period, or Saudi Arabia now.

> The attention economy has been hijacked to manipulate people

This statement seems to imply that the attention economy and manipulation are somehow separate things. The attention economy IS people manipulation.

It sure seems like it. But does it have to be? It cant just be to sate our want for entertainment?

Although if i think about it, that doesnt need to "trade" in attention. You can just put art out there for the sake of creativity. Trading in attention does imply utilizing it for commercial gain. How else would that be done other than manipulation? (Asking non-rhetorically)

Seems something very deteimental to society that the free market will encourage. So a good case for regulation to step in

I just finished _Culture In Nazi Germany_ by Michael H. Kater. [0]

UK's antisemitic view actually help create Israel and push for the Zionist movement.

Warning, the book is very dry and goes into detail of what happened to famous actors, writers, and musicians.

[0] https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300253375/culture-in-naz...

I am glad to hear that some evangelicals have much more reasonable beliefs about the end times and Jesus born of virgin, died and rose three days later is coming back… (note sarcasm).

It sure seems like it. But does it have to be? It cant just be to sate our want for entertainment?

Seems something very deteimental to society that the free market will encourage. So a good case for regulation to step in

Does it matter? A country being allied with the US seems to have little to do with whether it's a democracy, see e.g. Taiwan and South Korea during the dictatorship period, or Saudi Arabia now.

Are you referring to the West Bank or Gaza? Because they’re both not part of Israel. Palestinians in Israel absolutely vote and have their own representatives in government.

I am glad to hear that some evangelicals have much more reasonable beliefs about the end times and Jesus born of virgin, died and rose three days later is coming back… (note sarcasm).

Are you referring to the West Bank or Gaza? Because they’re both not part of Israel. Palestinians in Israel absolutely vote and have their own representatives in government.

If you arbitrarily define parts of the territory you control as not part of your territory, and its population as not your citizens (even though they are entirely subject to your jurisdiction), then you only get partial credit for being a “democracy”, at best.

If Israel were really committed to democratic ideals, they would either make all Palestinians equal citizens of the state (currently Israel, which would presumably be renamed “Palestine” the next day), or, more realistically, they would allow the Palestinian Territories to become an independent state, rather than keeping them permanently occupied and subject to Israeli military law.

"Both not part of Israel" and yet the people who allegedly own it don't control it.

this is exactly what other countries do since ages - US, UK, France - just to name a few - they all have territories under their control, but not integrated into the state itself, with population having different, but usually lesser rights than the population of the state proper.

on the other hand, the situation in so-called palestinian territories is completely different. Gaza strip was officially annexed by Egypt, West Bank was officially annexed by Jordan - so the official government would be these countries, and if we're talking about Apartheid, then it would be committed by these countries.

"Both not part of Israel" and yet the people who allegedly own it don't control it.

they don't even want it - because otherwise you can't play the victim card and blame jews for everything. their entire "economy" is based on that.

SUMMARY

Israel's government has allocated millions in contracts to U.S. firms for public diplomacy efforts, targeting evangelical Christians and AI platforms like ChatGPT amid eroding support.

Foreign Agents Registration Act filings document payments routed through Havas Media Germany GmbH, which has handled at least $100 million since 2018 for Israeli tourism promotion in the U.S.

The largest agreement, a $6 million four-month deal in August with Clock Tower X—owned by Brad Parscale, Trump's former digital campaign manager—funds antisemitism campaigns producing 100 core content pieces monthly, such as videos, podcasts, graphics, and text, plus 5,000 derivatives for 50 million impressions.

Eighty percent of the content targets young Americans on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, distributed through Salem Media Network's over 200 conservative Christian radio stations and websites, where Parscale serves as strategy lead.

A proposed $3 million campaign by Show Faith by Works, run by Republican evangelical consultant Chad Schnitger, seeks to reverse evangelical support declines using biblical arguments emphasizing Israel's importance to Christians and portraying Palestinians as choosing Hamas, murdering Christian aid workers, celebrating the October 7 massacre, and sharing genocidal intentions with Iran.

This includes the largest U.S. geofencing operation, mapping perimeters of major churches and Christian colleges in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Colorado during worship hours to identify 8 million churchgoers and 4 million students via commercial data for continued ad targeting.

Clock Tower X's contract features a "Search and Language Operation" to influence Google search results and generative AI responses from ChatGPT and Claude, representing the first documented state attempt to shape chatbot framing on Israel-Palestine issues.

SKDKnickerbocker's 2.5 million shekel contract deploys bots on TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube to amplify Foreign Ministry messages, supported by up to five spokespersons for international media and social media promotion.

Bridges Partners' $1 million "Esther Project" recruits 14-18 influencers for 25-30 monthly posts on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and X promoting U.S.-Israel cultural exchange; payments include $15,000 to Nadav Shtrauchler, a former Netanyahu consultant, and $10,000 to digital marketer Pnina Rezidor.

A July Foreign Ministry tender exemption funded trips for American right-wing influencers to Israel, including settlement visits; in September, Netanyahu met influencers in New York, urging them to treat social media as a "battlefield."

Targeted Communications Global's $1.2 million Tourism Ministry contract engages influencers for travel promotion content.

Voices for Israel, sponsored by the Diaspora Affairs Ministry, designates AI as a "core tool" for perception operations; wartime "Project Max" established a "Technological War Room" with monitoring systems, AI, big data, distribution, and disruption capabilities.

Pew surveys show U.S. negative views of Israel rose from 42% in 2022 to 53% in 2025, with half of Republicans under 50 now holding negative opinions, up 15% since the Gaza war; young evangelicals no longer provide automatic support.

A 2024 Tel Aviv University report confirms the shift among young evangelicals. Far-right media and "disinformation networks" propagated conspiracy theories after Charlie Kirk's killing, alleging Israeli involvement due to his Gaza war criticisms and push-back on the Israel lobby leaving him out to dry with little support, when asked, from facing Israel-critical questions at his campus speaking tours.

The government spent over $45 million in late 2025 on ads via Google, YouTube, X, and Outbrain.

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Israel dumps millions into geo targeting evangelicals in churches and ChatGPT

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