The Hasbara Billions

Reviewing the findings of recent Quincy Institute research report of the obscene money being spent by Israel on Hasbara “Eighth Front”: Israel’s Dark War on Truth In Florida in late 2025, Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Evangelical leaders and introduced what he referred to as the “eighth front”. This was not a front involving tanks or missiles—rather it was the struggle for Western minds. His analogy was significant in that he admitted the Israeli propaganda machine resembled a “Polish cavalry” charging against an “F‑35”. The remedy, he said, was a blitz costing one billion dollars in order to take control of the digital and spiritual infrastructure of America. What this is not is diplomacy; it is instead psychological warfare. Buying Influence, Not Earning It Since October 7, 2023, Israel has spent more than one billion dollars on hasbara — that is, state-funded propaganda. The amount suggested for the 2026 budget alone is $750 million, which is greater than any previous allocations. What is taking place is not ‘public diplomacy’; it is the industrialisation of manipulation. For many years Israel has used American intermediaries such as AIPAC and CUFI in order to avoid making FARA disclosures. Nowadays, since public opinion has collapsed, this disguise has been removed and Israel is now hiring agents who are registered with FARA, becoming the biggest spender under the law. The people they are aiming at are clear: Among young Americans, sympathy has clearly shifted in favour of the Palestinians. The conservatives are becoming more hostile towards being involved in foreign affairs. The evangelical group, which used to be a solid base of support, is now split apart by generational divisions. Gaming Influence With Ai The most terrifying method involves deliberately poisoning AI chatbots; Israel paid Brad Parscale’s company Clock Tower X, at a cost of $46.5 million, to insert propaganda into the Large Language Models. Websites such as that of Paxpoint.org and Thetruthaboutiran.org are not designed with humans in mind but with machines in mind—they are constructed so that they can be scraped by AI in order that the “facts” provided to users may be state-funded lies. What is taking place here is not persuasion; it is algorithmic brainwashing. Havas: The Corrupt Middleman Havas Media, a French company with a record of corruption scandals, is at the centre of the operation: it has received over $100 million and uses American subcontractors to launder Israeli propaganda. • Bridges Partners – a company that provides influencers. • Piro Inc. provides content in the style of Hollywood to glamorise war—demonstrate one’s faith through action by using Bible-themed propaganda to appeal to the religious right. What this is not is outreach; it is the misuse of faith and culture. Surveilling the Sanctuary The “Show Faith by Works” campaign even suggested using geofencing for megachurches—this would involve tracking the phones of people who were praying so that ads could be bombarded onto them. Following the negative reaction, the campaign changed direction and moved on to offering “soft power” Bible studies and traveling propaganda exhibitions. Its objective is still the same: to rewire American Christianity so that it becomes a tool of Israeli policy. Influencer Paydays As part of ‘Project Esther’ and ‘Project 545’, Israel pays lifestyle influencers as much as $7,000 for each post in order to get its propaganda incorporated into your feed. Many of these posts do not include FARA disclosures and therefore trick your audience into thinking that they are ‘organic’. Eurovision was also used for this purpose, with $800,000 being spent to promote Eden Golan as a soft-power tool. The trips taken by influencers are intentionally intended to radicalize – this involves emotional manipulation aimed at getting rid of complexity and reducing war to a simple “us versus them” scenario. Failure and Decline of Hasbara Even though a billion dollars has been spent, the campaign is failing. A Gallup survey from 2026 reveals that a greater number of Americans sympathize with the Palestinians (41%) than with the Israelis (36%) — a historic reversal. The fact remains that 70,000 people have died. As the critic Yossi Sarid has said, hasbara is “the refuge of all failures”. The effort by Israel to obtain legitimacy only serves to increase suspicion. Stephen Walt of Harvard cautions that constant spin leads to distrust, and in fact the more Israel spends, the more hollow its message becomes. Reflections The idea of Israel’s “Eighth Front” has nothing to do with the truth; it is all about exerting control. It is a bid amounting to one billion dollars to manipulate algorithms, infiltrate churches, and take over influencers. Yet propaganda cannot conceal brutality. However great the AI manipulation or the money paid to influencers, the images of hospitals that have been bombed, children who are starving, and mass graves cannot be erased. The lesson is clear: if the policy in question is indefensible, then propaganda ceases to act as a shield and instead functions as a mirror, showing off the darkness of the state that uses it. We are a fully reader - and subscriber - supported publication. We feature citizen journalists unapologetically. Help us grow and fuel honest, citizen journalism by becoming a paid member. Sources: Quinsy Institute Report (Read Link) Ai tools used: Premier Pro Ai, Grammarly, Gemini for Illustrations in video / article. Get full access to Manufacture Dissent at mandissent.com/subscribe