Israel to fund tour for MAGA and pro-Trump influencers: Report

Haaretz study says Israel plans to alert 16 societal media influencers who enactment Trump’s MAGA and America First campaigns.

The Israeli overseas ministry volition money a circuit of the state by right-wing societal media influencers from the United States, says a report.

Israeli paper Haaretz connected Sunday reported that the planned circuit volition diagnostic 16 influencers, each nether the property of 30, who enactment US President Donald Trump’s MAGA (Make America Great Again) and America First campaigns.

The influencers each person hundreds of thousands to millions of followers. They volition beryllium flown successful to antagonistic what the Israeli authorities sees arsenic declining enactment for Israel among young Americans, the study said, without citing immoderate date.

“With the emergence of the America First question and MAGA successful American politics, it’s indispensable for Israel that the question follow a pro-Israel position,” Yacov Livne, elder lawman manager of the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s Department of Public Diplomacy, was quoted arsenic saying successful the report.

The Israeli overseas ministry aims to bring 550 influencer delegations to Israel by the extremity of the twelvemonth done specified tours, it said.

“[While] older Republicans and American conservatives inactive clasp pro-Israel views, affirmative perspectives towards Israel are falling crossed each younger property groups,” it said, according to the report.

The influencers volition beryllium pushed to stock messaging that aligns with Israeli argumentation regarding the Palestinians. “We are moving with influencers, sometimes with delegations of influencers,” an unnamed root from the ministry told Haaretz.

“Their networks person immense followings and their messages are much effectual than if they came straight from the ministry.”

The circuit volition beryllium carried retired done an organisation called Israel365, which is successful a “unique presumption to convey a pro-Israel stance that aligns wholly with the MAGA and America First agenda”, Haaretz quoted the overseas ministry arsenic saying.

Israel365 promotes enactment for Israel, specifically among Christians, based connected biblical principles. Its website says the radical “stands unapologetically for the Jewish people’s God-given close to the full Land of Israel”.

The organisation besides rejects a two‑state solution arsenic a “delusion” and describes its ngo arsenic defending “Western civilization against threats from some Progressive Left extremism and planetary jihad”.

The ministry said it has struck a 290,000-shekel ($86,000) woody to transportation retired the tour, Haaretz reported.

Since the war connected Gaza began successful October 2023, Israel365 “deepened ties with MAGA and America First movements, appearing astatine their large events and helping enlistee salient blimpish figures to sojourn Israel”, the study added.