Watchdog Group: Over 120 US Lawmakers Targeted by Israeli Disinformation Campaign
DEBARYLIFE – Data from an Israeli disinformation watchdog group shared with POLITICO indicates that during the present conflict in the Gaza Strip, at least 128 members of Congress were the subject of an Israeli-linked effort to disseminate pro-Israel military content.
It was first revealed in March that there was an influence campaign aimed at legislators. It involved about 600 fictitious personas that released over 2,000 coordinated remarks every week in support of Israel’s military actions, denouncing human rights abuse allegations, and attacking Palestinian rights organizations.
The precise number of lawmakers targeted was not previously known, but the New York Times reported on Wednesday that the operation was supported by the Israeli government, citing several anonymous Israeli officials.
Based on information provided by FakeReporter, the organization that initially made the network public, the posts were directed toward the social media profiles of at least 128 US lawmakers. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Representatives Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Shontel Brown (D-Ohio) are among the lawmakers whose names were previously unknown but were revealed with POLITICO.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La. ), and Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) are all on the list.
The length of the list shows how much of Congress the influencers covered with their campaign. The identities overwhelmingly favor the House over the Senate, and the targets were primarily Democratic members, but it also demonstrates the targeting of specific organizations.
By posting links to phony news sources, the disinformation network’s commentators, who pretended to be American social media users, frequently boosted pro-Israel messaging.
The New York Times reports that the effort cost $2 million and was executed by Israeli political marketing agency STOIC, which was contracted by Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs. FakeReporter was unable to verify the individuals responsible for the pro-Israel comment clusters.
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However, last week, Meta released an independent report claiming that STOIC was the source of the misinformation campaign and declaring that the company had been banned from its social media accounts.
The campaign’s Israeli government sponsorship could not be independently verified by POLITICO.
However, the strategy would be consistent with previous state-sponsored disinformation campaigns from China, North Korea, Iran, and Russia, which frequently employ fictitious social media profiles to disseminate narratives that support their respective governments. The campaign of disinformation highlights the worries that psyops are contaminating political discourse globally, especially during significant elections.
Instead of responding to the report, an Israeli Embassy representative in Washington referred reporters to a statement from the Ministry for Diaspora Affairs that “categorically” denies any involvement.
“To be clear, there is no affiliation or joint venture between the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Voices of Israel and the company STOIC,” the statement said. “Any assertions to the contrary are entirely false and inaccurate.”
At least 88 times, the Israeli-backed effort targeted Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and other senators with online posts. Blumenthal stated he did not know “anything more about it than what I have read, I haven’t been contacted” in response to a question about the article posted by POLITICO on Wednesday.
“I’m curious about the precise actions taken, by whom, and by whom,” Blumenthal remarked.
The White House National Security Council declined to comment on the results through spokespeople. When asked for comments, more than a dozen other lawmakers who were the focus of the campaign remained silent.
The Israeli watchdog group accused its government of carrying out rudimentary overseas influence operations that pose serious risks and of not doing enough to counteract domestic disinformation threats.
The executive director of FakeReporter, Achiya Schatz, stated, “The foreign influence network’s operation against American lawmakers was an irresponsible, reckless, and anti-democratic act.” “Israel must stop conducting its interventions if it does not want to become a victim of foreign ones.”