The Israeli government has spent an estimated $7.1 million on influencing campaigns, in a strong bid to shape public discourse amid Israel’s continued aggression against Palestinians living in besieged Gaza.
In a thread on X, formerly Twitter, journalist Sophia Smith said the Israeli government has spent an estimated $7.1 million on Youtube ads, after having drawn data from an online analytics tool.
« If you’ve been targeted (by) ads from Israel’s foreign ministry on YouTube this past fortnight, you’re not alone, » announced Smith. « They’ve spent nearly $7.1 million on YouTube ads, including some horrifying videos. »
According to Politico, there are also campaign strategies directed at other platforms including X, relying on emotional and graphic ads that have been paid for by the Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministry. It added the foreign ministry has reportedly run 30 advertisements that have been viewed 4 million times on X.
Reportedly Israeli authorities have also brought numerous advertisements on Facebook, Instagram and mobile games and apps including Duolingo.
Israel has also financed videos and photos that began to appear on October 12, targeting adults over 25 in top European cities including Brussels, Paris and Munich.
Smith explained she had used the analytics tool, Semrush during her research which estimates the cost of advertising campaigns.
Semrush is similar to Google’s ad transparency centre. In her video she acknowledged that Google “does not publicly share how much an advertiser has spent on an ad campaign” although the ad transparency centre “gives some information”.
Smith’s research suggests that the West, in particular France, Germany and the UK are the most targeted with 88 pro-Israeli ads peddled between October 7-19.
In terms of costs, France was top with the ministry spending $3.8 million in a country where pro-Palestinian demonstrations are also banned.
Germany ranked second with $ 1.9 while third place UK spent $1.1 million, according to Smith.
Close to 50 video ads in English language sought to target European Union nations.
Israel has continued to bomb Gaza, following a surprise attack by Palestinian resistance group Hamas on October 7. It has also enforced a total siege of food, fuel and medical supplies on the enclave. Close to 7,200 people have been killed in the conflict, including at least 5,791 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis.
Smith, who has also worked for Vice News and the BBC, described seeing a trend whereby « some videos have been appearing and disappearing from the ad centre.”
She added that some of them possibly violate the specific Youtube ad guidelines.
Google removed 30 of the Israeli government’s advertisements, as they did not appear to meet their guidelines. Typically they focus on « violent language, gruesome or disgusting imagery, or graphic images or accounts of physical trauma, » according to Politico.
Smith said she had taken a screenshot of one advertisement that has kept appearing and disappearing and allegedly « claims to show the autopsy of a child burned alive. »
“All of the videos can be viewed as organic videos on their YT page, where only some of them have been monetised to become ads,” said Smith.
“What you can see on the channel is some videos with strangely inflated view counts – those are the ones that have been ‘ad-ified’,” she added.
The campaigns also pushed the narrative of Hamas being a “vicious terrorist group,” while making comparisons to Daesh.
Smith explained that she had not seen Youtube ads like this before while working as a journalist.
She went on to explain that the purpose of her research and subsequent thread was to investigate and clarify how the ads had reached her.