Afraid of the growing skepticism from the younger Americans, Israel is taking up a new move to blend diplomacy with the emerging era of digital influence. Backed by state funding, the Israeli Foreign Ministry has launched a partnership with Israel365 to fly out popular MAGA (Make America Great Again) – aligned content creators, hoping their online clout can help restore Israel’s image among a digitally native, politically charged audience.
The campaign intends to combat what Israeli officials see as declining support for Israel among young Americans, especially within the conservative base.
A Strategic Media Tour
Haaretz reports that the Israeli Foreign Ministry has tapped Israel365, a Christian Zionist advocacy group to bring 16 pro-Trump social media personalities, each with thousands to millions of followers on an absolutely fully funded tour of Israel. Their only mission is to spread pro-Israel messaging, particularly the narratives that align with Israeli government policy on Palestinians, to a young and right-wing American audience.
Israel365’s official website states that it “stands unapologetically for the Jewish people’s God-given right to the entire Land of Israel.” The organisation expressly rejects the two-state solution as a “delusion,” and promises to protect “Western civilisation against threats from both Progressive Left extremism and global jihad.”
In recent years, the group has expanded relations with MAGA-aligned officials, particularly when the conflict in Gaza began in October 2023. It has participated in MAGA-affiliated events and actively recruited notable conservative influencers to visit Israel. To carry out the program, Israel’s Foreign Ministry apparently reached a 290,000-shekel agreement (about $86,000) to sponsor this particular tour. Influencers will most certainly be given all-expense-paid tours and curated access to Israeli landmarks, defence briefings, and historical sites, events that are meant to generate sympathetic social media content.
Why is it Essential for Israel
The campaign could be called as part of a more holistic diplomatic strategy. According to Haaretz, Israel’s Foreign Ministry believes the “America First” movement and MAGA ideology are critical to retaining US support for Israel due to evolving generational views. “With the rise of the America First movement and MAGA in American politics, it’s essential for Israel that the movement adopt a pro-Israel position,” said Yacov Livne, senior deputy director in the Foreign Ministry’s Department of Public Diplomacy.
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The Foreign Ministry plans to send 550 influencer delegations to Israel by the end of the year 2025, thinking that such visitors may boost the country’s image far more effectively than press releases or government outreach.
The Rise of Diplomatic Influencers
The Israeli government’s plan to use social media influencers is consistent with a growing global trend in which governments use para-diplomatic innovations to reach out directly to younger audiences rather than journalists and officials.nIf the tour turns out to be successful, it might serve as a model for future international outreach, not only in Israel, but around the world as countries compete for recognition in the crowded digital realm.
However, the ethics and openness of such efforts remain debatable. Do these influencers report or promote? What role should curate content published on TikTok, YouTube, or Instagram have in shaping political narratives? These might be the questions that are certain to reappear as influencers arrive in Tel Aviv.
