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Drawing straight out of Vladimir Putin's playbook, after also being indicted like his Russian counterpart by the ICC for war crimes, Netanyahu's government has tried to influence American elections by running a disinformation campaign on social media.
According to the New York Times, "Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs ordered the operation, which used fake social media accounts urging U.S. lawmakers to fund Israel’s military", and "The campaign began in October and remains active on the platform X. At its peak, it used hundreds of fake accounts that posed as real Americans on X, Facebook and Instagram to post pro-Israel comments. The accounts focused on U.S. lawmakers, particularly ones who are Black and Democrats, such as Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader from New York, and Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia, with posts urging them to continue funding Israel’s military."
www.nytimes.com
While "Countries such as Iran, China, North Korea, Russia and the US have previously been linked to similar tactics aimed at influencing public opinion and creating controversy."
"If verified, this would be the first known campaign by the Israeli government to directly influence US lawmakers."
Meta has shutdown the accounts related to the incident but they're still active on X.
Due to the privileged status of Israel in American politics it's unlikely anything will come out of it, however, is it even legal for a foreign government to use American social media companies, to pose as Americans and try to influence elections? How different is that from the Russian 2016 interference that involved targeted ads to certain demographics? It's certainly not the same as the hacking of the e-mails, however, is it still interference, if to a lesser degree?
Or just a big nothing burger from the Greatest Ally?
Comment section on the NYT, taken from reader's picks, mostly negative about Israel:
About AIPAC:
Link without paywall:
According to the New York Times, "Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs ordered the operation, which used fake social media accounts urging U.S. lawmakers to fund Israel’s military", and "The campaign began in October and remains active on the platform X. At its peak, it used hundreds of fake accounts that posed as real Americans on X, Facebook and Instagram to post pro-Israel comments. The accounts focused on U.S. lawmakers, particularly ones who are Black and Democrats, such as Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader from New York, and Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia, with posts urging them to continue funding Israel’s military."
Israel Secretly Targets U.S. Lawmakers With Influence Campaign on Gaza War
Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs ordered the operation, which used fake social media accounts urging U.S. lawmakers to fund Israel’s military, according to officials and documents about the effort.
While "Countries such as Iran, China, North Korea, Russia and the US have previously been linked to similar tactics aimed at influencing public opinion and creating controversy."
"If verified, this would be the first known campaign by the Israeli government to directly influence US lawmakers."
Meta has shutdown the accounts related to the incident but they're still active on X.
Due to the privileged status of Israel in American politics it's unlikely anything will come out of it, however, is it even legal for a foreign government to use American social media companies, to pose as Americans and try to influence elections? How different is that from the Russian 2016 interference that involved targeted ads to certain demographics? It's certainly not the same as the hacking of the e-mails, however, is it still interference, if to a lesser degree?
Or just a big nothing burger from the Greatest Ally?
Comment section on the NYT, taken from reader's picks, mostly negative about Israel:
About AIPAC:
Replying to a guy who said every country has the right to lobby for its interests in the US:
Link without paywall:
Israel Secretly Targets U.S. Lawmakers With Influence Campaign on Gaza War
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel organized and paid for an influence campaign last year targeting U.S. lawmakers and the American public with pro-Israel messaging, as it aimed to foster support for its actions in the war in the Gaza Strip, according to officials involved in the effort and documents...
www.yahoo.com
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