In 2014, then vice president and current U.S. President Joe Biden infamously stated, “Were I a Jew I’d be a Zionist. My father pointed out to me that I did not need to be a Jew to be a Zionist, for I am.”

Biden is the first U.S. president to openly declare himself a Zionist, a statement he has repeated numerous times over the course of his political career, including during the 2023-2024 Israeli War on Gaza and Lebanon. Biden is also the largest recipient of Israel lobby money since 1990, according to Open Secrets.

Although America’s unwavering support for Israel is primarily driven by its perceived strategic interests – with Israel functioning as an extension of U.S. imperialism in the region – its support is also motivated by the Israel Lobby’s pervasive influence over various American institutions, including politics, media, entertainment, education, and religion. 

The ‘Israel Lobby’ consists of official lobbying groups whose primary purpose is to lobby pro-Israel policies. It also includes other groups and individuals who work to influence American sectors in pro-Israel directions. Collectively, they are considered the most powerful special interest groups in the country, despite openly working on behalf of a foreign entity.  If Americans Knew, a non-profit organization dedicated to informing Americans about the Israeli occupation of Palestine, compiled an extensive list on the Israel Lobby, stating: 

According to Big Israel: How Israel’s Lobby Moves America by Grant F. Smith, there are “hundreds” of interconnected organizations and committees that channel their power and influence in Congress and at the state level, while others work to police the narratives of mainstream media and the focuses of civil rights organizations.

Since its creation, the Israeli entity has been the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. foreign military and economic assistance. According to a 2023 report by the Congressional Research Service, between 1946 and 2023, U.S. aid to Israel amounted to an estimated $260 billion in American taxpayer money. 

According to a 2003 report by the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, the indirect or consequential costs to the American taxpayer as a result of Washington’s blind support for Israel far exceed the amount of direct U.S. aid to Israel – amounting to nearly $3 trillion. These figures do not include the billions of dollars of aid which Israel benefits from American supporters   through donations, investments, and advocacy. 

In 2017, Al-Jazeera produced a groundbreaking four-part documentary titled “The Lobby, USA.” It provided an undercover investigation into the Israel Lobby’s dominant influence over various American sectors, particularly politics, media and education. Ironically, the documentary was never aired after being censored by the same lobby it sought to expose. However, it was later obtained and released by The Electronic Intifada. Al-Jazeera also produced a four-part documentary exposing the Israel Lobby’s operations in the U.K.

Ultimately, the U.S. stands to benefit most from the Israel Lobby. Israel has been the primary pillar of Western strategy in West Asia for several decades, holding greater importance than any Western ministry. It functions as an advanced outpost, acting on behalf of Western interests in the region. In reality, Israel is not an independent foreign entity, but rather an American project in which the U.S. is primarily responsible for its protection and survival. The influence of the Israel Lobby in the U.S. is not a result of inherent power, but rather a reflection of the shared interests between the U.S. and Israel. 

Thus, the Israel Lobby does not act independently at the expense of America; rather it is granted space to thrive in order to preserve support and counter opposition for Israel’s existential role as a colonial outpost to advance U.S. interests in the region. As President Biden stated in 1986, “Were there not an Israel, the United States of America would have to invent an Israel to protect her interests in the region.”

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is the most prominent pro-Israel lobby group in the U.S. It consists of more than 3 million American members from every congressional district who work to strengthen bipartisan support for Israel. According to They Dare to Speak Out: People and Institutions Confront Israel’s Lobby by former congressman Paul Findley, AIPAC helps shape important aspects of U.S. foreign policy and influences congressional, senatorial, and presidential elections. According to its website, AIPAC’s mission is “to encourage and persuade the U.S. government to enact specific policies that create a strong, enduring and mutually beneficial relationship” with Israel. 

AIPAC closely monitors a broad range of key issues, including supporting Israel’s security, countering Iran’s peaceful nuclear program, combating regional resistance groups against Israeli occupation, opposing anti-Israel diplomatic efforts such as prosecutions at the International Court of Justice, and suppressing anti-Israel economic efforts such as BDS. To date, 38 states have adopted laws, executive orders, or resolutions designed to discourage boycotts against Israel – a move considered by many to be in violation of the First Amendment.

Historically, AIPAC used over 30 Political Action Committees (PACs) to lobby Congress, with an annual operating budget of $60 million. In 2021, however, AIPAC created its own PAC, the AIPAC-PAC, becoming the largest pro-Israel PAC in America. In 2022, AIPAC-PAC supported 365 pro-Israel Democratic and Republican candidates with more than $17 million in direct support.

AIPAC holds annual conventions where high-ranking government officials and influential politicians from both parties pledge their loyalty to Israel. AIPAC is legally designated as a 501(c)4 “social welfare” organization, meaning its contributors do not have to be made public. As a result, AIPAC traditionally has not disclosed the identities of its largest donors. 

The American Israel Education Foundation (AIEF), a subsidiary of AIPAC, takes members of Congress and other elites on all-expense-paid trips to Israel to “help educate political leaders and influentials about the importance of the U.S. – Israel relationship through firsthand experiences in Israel, briefings by experts on Middle East affairs, and meetings with Israeli political elite.”

The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (CoP) is another notable pro-Israel lobby group, consisting of 50 organizations that spend millions annually lobbying for Israel. According to its website, the Conference is at the vanguard of engaging America’s leaders and the public to advance the U.S.-Israel special relationship, bolster Israel’s security and prosperity, and build support at the United Nations and end the “anti-Israel bias.” 

The website adds, “Every day, the Conference of Presidents works publicly and behind the scenes to address vital issues including Israel’s security and vitality, threats posed by a nuclear Iran, global terrorism, antisemitism, and the delegitimization campaign.” The CoP collaborates with AIPAC, while focusing more on the executive branch as opposed to Congress. 

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) – a significant member of the CoP – presents itself as “the leading anti-hate organization in the world.” With regards to Israel, the ADL states, “we work to educate and engage on how harsh expressions about the Jewish state and Zionism can be antisemitic.” Other notable pro-Israel lobby groups include J Street, Pro-Israel America, Republican Jewish Coalition, and NORPAC. 

The World Jewish Congress (WJC) is an international organization consisting of billionaires, oligarchs, politicians, international financiers and global influencers. According to its website, “We are exceedingly well-coordinated and have strong contacts with governmental and international institutions and officials on all levels. We are well positioned to carry out the critical work of protecting and defending Jewish rights and the State of Israel.” They have also “successfully lobbied the United Nations and governments to support the establishment of the State of Israel.” 

The WJC presents itself as the official representative of the Jewish world despite the significant presence of  Jews who oppose Zionism and Israel. The WJC holds annual galas representing enormous amounts of wealth and power. A 2019 article by The Jewish Voice recounted the WJC’s event at The Pierre Hotel in New York City, stating, “The illustrious guest list was unparalleled as Robert Kraft, Tom and Alice Tisch, Leonard Lauder and Judy Glickman, the Safras, Ray and Veronica Kelly, Henry Kissinger, David Halpern, Inga and Ira Rennert, Dick Parsons, The Rothschilds, Ben Ashkenazy and Jack Chehebar, were just a few of the super power players who descended on the foyer of the Pierre.” 

The gala presents the organization’s highest honor, the annual Theodor Herzl Award, for exceptional service, support, and commitment to Israel. Previous awardees include former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, former Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel, former U.S. Secretaries of State Henry Kinninger and Colin Powel, former U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, former U.S. President Ronal Reagan, and current U.S. President Joe Biden. 

In 2011, former Congresswoman Cynthia Mckinney disclosed that every candidate for Congress had to sign a pledge to support Israel. She said, “Every candidate for Congress at that time were given a pledge to sign…which had Jerusalem as the capital city…you make a commitment that you would vote to support the military superiority of Israel,” adding that if a candidate did not perform accordingly, “then you do not get money to run your campaign.” McKinney stated that after she made the pledge issue public, “the tactic changed” where every member of Congress “has to now write a paragraph which basically says the same thing.”

In 2024, Congressman Thomas Massie described how every Republican in Congress has an AIPAC ‘babysitter,’ stating, “Everybody but me has an AIPAC person. It’s like your babysitter, your AIPAC babysitter, who’s always talking to you for AIPAC…When they come to DC, you have to go to lunch with them, and they’ve got your cell number and you have conversations with them…They don’t want one horse out of the barn. If one person starts speaking the truth, they’re afraid it might be contagious.”

At the outset of Israel’s 2023-2024 War on Gaza – considered the world’s first live-streamed genocide – AIPAC reaped $90 million in fundraising in the first three months, compared to its pre-war monthly average of $12 million in pledged donations. According to confidential internal documents reviewed by The Lever, the list of donors represented a cross-section of U.S. elite, including Hollywood moguls, CEOs, pro-sports teams owners, heads of private equity firms, and real estate titans. The largest donation reportedly came from billionaire “OnlyFans” pornography owner Leonid Radvinsky, who allegedly pledged $11 million. 

AIPAC immediately began putting its enormous war chest to use, seeking congressional support for Israel’s aggressions, requesting additional military aid, and lobbying against a ceasefire. 

With a Senate vote of 97 to 0 and a House vote of 412 to 10, the U.S. declared its unconditional political, financial, and military support for Israel’s War on Gaza, implementing a series of pro-Israel policies. 

In November 2023, the U.S. House passed an additional $14.3 billion in military aid for Israel, which President Biden authorized as part of a $26 billion package a few months later. In the war’s first three months alone, Israel dropped more than 45,000 bombs on Gaza, equating to over 65,000 tonnes of explosives . This is equivalent to four “Little Boy” atomic bombs, which the U.S. dropped on Hiroshima.

The Israel Lobby worked incessantly on prolonging the war, with the U.S. vetoing numerous UN Security Council resolutions and voting ‘against’ multiple UN General Assembly resolutions that  demanded an immediate ceasefire. Since 1972, the U.S. has vetoed at least 53 UN Security Council resolutions that were critical of Israel. In the wake of mass pro-Palestine demonstrations across the country, the U.S. House passed two resolutions equating criticism of Israel with anti-semitism, voting 412-1 on H.Res 888 that states refusing to recognize Israel equates to anti-semitism and voting 311-14 on H.Res 894 that states anti-Zionism is anti-semitism.

Further, AIPAC began funding campaigns of any candidate who challenged anyone not sufficiently supportive of Israel’s actions. In November 2023, a FEC filing showed AIPAC made record donations in campaign contributions, aimed at unseating anyone critical of Israel’s crimes. According to Slate, close watchers expect AIPAC to spend at least $100 million in the 2024 Democratic primaries, which so far has succeeded in unseating Reps. Jamaal Brown and Cori Bush. AIPAC also secured a House censure of Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib for her criticism of Israel.

In July 2024, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu gave a speech at Congress in which he was applauded nearly 40 times in less than an hour, with nearly 27 percent of his time at the podium consisting of clapping. 

In August 2024, the U.S. approved another $20 billion for Israel’s cataclysmic bombing campaign on the besieged enclave which had already killed over 40,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children. In September 2024, Israel announced it secured an additional $8.7 billion for its escalating aggression on Lebanon, which had already killed over 1,000 civilians in that month alone.

Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) is an American organization that hosts annual lavish fundraisers with Hollywood producers, directors, and celebrities. According to its website, the star-studded gala includes “prominent business, philanthropic, and political leaders and celebrated names in entertainment, fashion, sports, and technology.” The event raises funds for the Israeli occupation forces, a foreign army responsible for killing thousands of children, numerous war crimes, and countless violations of international law. The FIDF gala raised nearly $54 million in 2015, $60 million in 2018, and $87 million in 2022. Notable attendees included Robert De Niro, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Ashton Kutcher, Pharrell Williams, Gerard Butler, and many more.

Several Hollywood moguls are major supporters of Israel, including mega producers Haim Saban, a board member of the FIDF, and Arnon Milchan, a former Israeli Mossad agent. Blockbuster film director Steven Speilberg – who won Israel’s Genesis Prize for films and philanthropy – reportedly funds the ADL, Birthright Israel, and settlement-building projects through his charity, the Righteous Persons Foundation.

Spielberg told Spiegel International that he has been an ardent defender of Israel, adding that he would “die for Israel.” In 2006, Spielberg’s films were boycotted by the Arab League after he donated $1 million to Israel during its war on Lebanon. According to Hollywood and Israel: A History by Tony Shaw, Hollywood has long enjoyed a “special relationship” with Israel, adding that show business “has played a pivotal role in crafting the U.S.-Israel alliance.”

Many wealthy Americans fund the FIDF and other pro-Israel lobbying groups. In 2015, Israel 365 News published an article titled “Meet America’s Top 20 ‘Zionaires’: Billionaires Who Support Israel,” detailing some of their enormous contributions to various Zionist organizations. Notable individuals listed include NBA Golden State Warriors owner Larry Ellison, philanthropist and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Las Vegas casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, NFL New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, NBA Cleveland Cavaliers owner Daniel Gilbert, Victoria’s Secret owner Leslie Wexner, and Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus.

In 2014, Wikileaks disclosed a cache of emails from the Sony Archive, proving that influential entertainment magnates – in liaison with Israeli government officials – attempt to whitewash Israel’s war crimes, present Israel as ‘defending’ itself, and pressure institutions to cancel artists who criticize Israel’s actions. 

The emails revealed how Hollywood executives worked to repair Israel’s public image after its 2014 War on Gaza, which killed over 2,000 Palestinians and left another 150,000 homeless. Notable figures engaging within the emails included film producers Ron Rotholz, Cassian Elwes, Mark Canton, and George Perez, as well publishing oligarch Jason Binn, CEO of Relativity Media Ryan Kavanaugh, co-chairperson of Sony Amy Pascal, and former co-chairman of NBC and Universal Studios Ben Silverman. Others CC’d in the emails include actors, lawyers, and hip-hop mega producer Russell Simmons, who commented on how to help improve Israel’s image within the African-American community. 

As for the music industry, Lucian Grainge, CEO of the world’s largest music company, Universal , is often seen in attendance at FIDF fundraisers. Michael Lynton, former CEO of the second largest music company, Sony, and current chairman of the third largest, Warner, was reported by RadarOnline as having leaked emails that “show his active participation in both social and professional events centered around pro-Israel policy.” Meanwhile, Youtube’s Global Head of Music Lyor Cohen was once described as “the tall Israeli who runs the Rap industry” by hip-hop icon Mos Def. 

On a podcast with Joe Rogan, comedian Bobby Lee shared how he and other celebrities were invited on an all-expenses-paid trip to Israel, where upon arrival they were told, “Welcome…but everyday you have to tweet how great Israel is.”

Convicted sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein and his girlfriend Ghizlaine Maxwell, daughter of Israeli spy Robert Maxwell, were also allegedly linked to Israeli intelligence. According to alleged former Israeli spy Ari Ben-Menashe in Epstein: Dead Men Tell No Tales, the couple ran a “honey-trap” operation in which they used underage girls to blackmail politicians and influential figures into supporting Israel. Unsealed court documents revealed Epstein’s high-profile connections, including former Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, Prince Andrews, celebrity lawyer Alan Dershowitz, and the late singer Michael Jackson. 

A Wall Street Journal investigation included additional contacts with filmmaker Woody Allen, banking executive Ariane de Rothschild, billionaire Bill Gates, former US Secretary of Treasury Lawrence Summers, and former Israeli PM Ehud Barak.

At the outset of Israel’s 2023-2024 War on Gaza, several American billionaires donated tens of millions to various pro-Israel causes, including $100 million from Robert Kraft and $43.6 million from Michael Bloomberg. Over 700 notable Hollywood figures signed an open letter in support of Israel. 

Sports figures such as NBA icon Lebron James also shared their support, while boxing legend Floyd Mayweather visited an Israeli military base to offer words of encouragement to IDF soldiers. Meanwhile, GQ released a short list of 20 mostly unknown celebrities who expressed some form of solidarity with Palestine – such as calling for peace, a ceasefire, or simply acknowledging their suffering. Actresses Susan Sarandon and Melissa Barrera were dropped from their talent agencies after voicing support for Palestine, while actor John Cusack was branded “Anti-Semite of the Week” by StopAntisemitism after calling for a ceasefire. Historically, very few celebrities have expressed public support for Palestine or even taken a neutral stance, as many faced consequences for doing so.

Despite the illusion of an endless variety of objective media options, nearly 90 percent of all media outlets in America are owned by only six media conglomerates known as The Big 6. They include News Corp, which owns Fox, AT&T, which owns CNN, Disney, which owns ABC, Comcast, which owns NBC, Paramount Global, which owns CBS, and Sony. Such a consolidation of media power has a significant impact on how information disseminates and has a major effect in shaping public opinion, influencing social views, and ‘manufacturing consent.’ With regards to Israel-Palestine, Western mainstream media is notorious for its pro-Israel bias.

In 2010, News Corp owner Ruper Murdoch was honored by the ADL for his ‘stalwart support of Israel’ in what he described as a “soft war that seeks to isolate Israel by delegitimizing it. The battleground is everywhere – the media, multinational organizations, NGOs.” In 2019, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson attended a Texas-Israel Alliance event for “honoring innovation in Israel and particularly AT&T for its investments in Texas and Israel.” In 2019, Disney CEO Robert Iger was an honoree at a fundraising dinner for the Simon Wiesenthal Center, an organization whose one of many missions includes “defending the safety of Israel.” 

Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, who won a gold medal playing the Maccabiah Games in Israel, is “known for his affinity for Israel,” according to The Forward. In 2019, CEO of CNN’s parent company Discovery, David Zaslov, told I24 Israel news, “I love Israel, Tel Aviv is fantastic,” adding, “It’s a shining light of democracy.” CNN’s chief anchor Wolf Blitzer began his career in journalism in Israel for Reuters and The Jerusalem Post, and also worked for AIPAC as the editor of its monthly publication, the Near East Report. CNN’s iconic talk show host Larry King attended the FIDF gala in 2016.

Corporate news outlets have a history of reporting inaccurate and misleading information regarding the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Western coverage often lacks context and fails to address the conflict’s root cause, leaving viewers without complete information on how the state of Israel came to exist – i.e. mass European immigration and the Nakba. Outlets often fail to mention that prior to 1948, only Palestine existed – a nation with its own culture, language, and customs, where Muslims, Christians, and Jews lived together in peace.  Corporate media also habitually ignores the primary motive behind Western support for Israel – i.e. its existential role as a colonial outpost to serve Western interests in the region. 

Many highly influential pro-Israel think-tanks, research, and public policy groups produce and promote content advocating pro-Israel policies, interests, and ideas. These often appear on mainstream media and are regurgitated by politicians, journalists, and people of influence. Largely funded by private donors, such non-profit organizations, institutes, and foundations include the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Simon Wiesenthal Center, and Haym Salomon Center. 

The Israel Project (TIP), funded by billionaire Seth Klarman, was a pro-Israel advocacy group devoted to producing  pro-Israel propaganda. In 2009, TIP was exposed by Newsweek for its secret handbook written by Republican pollster Frank Luntz which consisted of crafty arguments, strategies, and tactics on how to shape pro-Israel ideas in diversionary ways when lobbying Congress and the media.

The media portrays the issue of Israel-Palestine as a conflict over land and resources between two sides with equal claims, and not as a battle between a military occupier and the occupied. Media word choices such as ‘conflict’ present a narrative that these are two nations that have existed side-by-side for generations, and have either always been at war or recently began fighting, with no distinction between the colonizer and the colonized. Terms such as ‘clashes’ are often used, failing to depict the reality of an indigenous population resisting settler-colonialism as justified by international law. 

Such language misinterprets the Palestinian struggle for freedom as random acts of violence or flare-ups. It also negates the major power imbalance between the two, with Israel as a nuclear power that receives billions of dollars in military aid from the U.S., and Palestinains who resist with modest artillery and stones. The dehumanization and vilification of Palestinians is also a very common theme, which critics argue aims to normalize their suffering, justify their oppression, and dehistoricize their nationhood. Palestinian casualties are often reported as ‘dead’, with impersonal and often negative descriptions, and without clear mention of the perpetrators. 

Israeli casualties, on the other hand, are often reported as ‘killed,’ are personalized, and with clear indication of Palestinians as the culprit – usually as ‘militants’ or ‘terrorists.’ The so-called conflict is usually portrayed as an issue of security and terrorism, with Israel as the peaceful victim that acts in self-defense, while Palestinians are the aggressors who commit acts of terror. When Israel demolishes Palestinian homes or confiscates Palestinian land, terms such as ‘eviction,’ ‘land expropriation,’ and ‘transfer’ are used as opposed to terms such as ‘forced expulsion’, ‘land theft,’ or ‘ethnic cleansing.’

There is an extensive body of literature on Western media coverage of Israel-Palestine, mostly revealing that Israeli perspectives are legitimized while Palestinian perspectives are marginalized. A 2001 study by Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting showed that National Public Radio covered 89 percent of Israeli child deaths and only 20 percent of Palestinian child deaths. 

A 2003 study in the International Journal of Press/Politics found that the New York Times relied heavily on Israeli sources, personalized Israeli deaths, and largely ignored Palestinian deaths.  A 2007 book, Israel-Palestine on Record: How the New York Times Misreports Conflict in the Middle East, examined how coverage marginalized the Palestinian perspective, largely ignored Palestinian deaths, prominently covered Israeli deaths, and described Israel-perpetrated violence as self-defense. 

A 2008 systematic study of the BBC by Professor Leon Barkho revealed the tendency to “undermine Palestinian casualties.” A 2009 study in the Journal of Middle East Media found that the New York Times and Chicago Tribune’s coverage of the Second Intifada was highly skewed in Israel’s favor, with Israeli violence justified with ‘self-defense’ and ‘war’ frames, while Palestinian violence was condemned with ‘aggression’ and ‘criminality’ frames. 

If Americans Knew has done numerous studies on the double standards of Western media with regards to Israel-Palestine, stating that such analyses “reveal the troubling patterns of omission and disparities that profoundly hamper the viewer’s ability to understand the conflict,”with different dictions, contexts, and amounts of words used to describe both sides.

As for social media, many platforms arrange algorithms that increase the reach of pro-Israel propaganda and curtail the reach of pro-Palestine content. They often censor, suppress, and shadow ban posts and accounts supportive of Palestine and/or critical of Israel, forcing users to engage in ‘algospeak’ to bypass AI-powered filters. Dubbed as the next Silicon Valley, Israel hosts more than 270 tech companies, including tech giants Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp. Such collaboration helps Israel shape the narrative on social media platforms. 

According to digital-rights group 7amleh, the Israeli Ministry of Justice sends content-removal requests to social media companies, boasting that 95 percent of their requests are approved. A 51-page report by Human Rights Watch, Meta’s Broken Promises: Systemic Censorship of Palestine Content on Instagram and Facebook, found “a pattern of undue removal and suppression of protected speech including peaceful expression in support of Palestine and public debate about Palestinian human rights.”

At the outset of Israel’s 2023-2024 War on Gaza, Israeli media reported stories of “40 beheaded babies,” “mass rapes,” and other gruesome acts allegedly committed by Palestinian fighters. Despite lacking any evidence, such ‘atrocity propaganda’ – aimed at justifying the coming genocide – made front-page headlines around the world and continued to be regurgitated by Western media. 

CNN’s Sara Sidner repeated the false narrative on live television in front of millions of viewers, before later posting on X,  “I needed to be more careful with my words and I am sorry.” President Biden publicly claimed to have seen images of the beheadings, before the Whitehouse clarified he had in fact not seen such images. Such narratives were later debunked by numerous independent outlets including The Electronic Intifada, The Grayzone, The Cradle, Mondoweiss, and The Intercept. Additionally, Western media continued to ignore confirmation of Israel’s “Hannibal Directive” on October 7.

As the world live-streamed Israel’s horrifying bombardment of densely-populated areas – killing thousands of innocent civilians – establishment media continued to call it a “tragic accident.” A leaked New York Times memo instructed journalists not to use internationally recognised terms and phrases such as ‘genocide’, ‘occupied territory’, ‘ethnic cleansing’, and even ‘refugee camps’, and to avoid using words such as ‘slaughter’, ‘massacre’ and ‘carnage’. 

Many Western talk shows, such as Piers Morgan Uncensored, consistently began their programs by asking pro-Palestine guests to ‘condemn’ Hamas, as if their actions were unprovoked and the conflict only began on October 7. CNN faced internal backlash from staff who accused the network of “journalistic malpractice” over editorial policies that regurgitated Israeli propaganda and censored Palestinian perspectives. Conservative Candace Owens and progressive Briahna Joy Gray were both fired from their media jobs for criticizing Israel. Billionaire Barry Sternlicht launched “Facts for Peace,” an aggressive social media campaign aimed at swaying public opinion in support of Israel, which became the largest pro-Israel advertiser on Meta, according to Politico.

Meta disabled many pro-Palestine accounts, particularly those with massive followings, including activists such as Sean King, rights groups such as Within Our Lifetime, independent media outlets such as The Cradle, and heads of state such as Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Guy Christenson, a young pro-Palestine social media influencer with millions of followers on TikTok, disclosed how a Zionist organization offered him $5,000 and “scholarship opportunities” in exchange for a live broadcast of him expressing support for Israel, which he rejected.

In a leaked audio, ADL CEO Jonathon Greenblatt stated that “we have a major, major, major generational problem” and “we really have a TikTok problem,” referencing the decline of public support for Israel among young people. Amid such growing concerns, the U.S. House passed a bill proposing a ban on the Chinese-owned platform for not effectively censoring the pro-Palestine narrative.

As of August 2024, 170 Palestinian journalists in Gaza have been killed by Israeli attacks since the war began.

Many pro-Israel advocacy groups are active across American college campuses, targeting students, faculty, and professionals. They focus on promoting the Israeli narrative and suppressing Palestine solidarity by coordinating strategies, providing ‘educational’ resources, sharing in-depth ‘research,’ and increasing collaboration to advance the Zionist project. Funded by private donors, such groups spend millions striving to foster and strengthen the next generation’s relationship, commitment, and support for Zionism – often providing free trips to Israel. These organizations include Israel on Campus Coalition, Hillel, Birthright Israel, Stand with Us, The Avi Chai Foundation, Zionist Organization of America, Reservist on Duty, and Passages.

The Canary Mission is an anonymous online entity launched in 2015 that documents individuals and organizations who voice criticism of Israel and/or promote Palestine solidarity on American college campuses and beyond. Its database displays thousands of students, professors, and professionals, with an overview of their names, photos, school, social media posts, and activities. According to The Nation, “the Canary Mission is a massive blacklisting and doxxing operation directed from Israel that targets students and professors critical of Israeli policies, and then launches slanderous charges against them—charges designed to embarrass and humiliate them and damage their future employability.” 

It publishes negative and defamatory portraits of activists – especially those from Palestine solidarity groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) – accusing them of being ‘anti-semitic’, ‘terrorists’, ‘white supremacists’, and even ‘fake Jews’ in order to demonize and deter their activism against the Israeli occupation. To date, no person or entity has claimed responsibility for maintaining the Canary Mission – which hides its financial trail – allowing it to blacklist, smear, and slander student activists with impunity.

According to an investigation by The Forward, “the people who run Canary Mission are in direct contact with the leadership of Act.il, a pro-Israel propaganda app,” that is part of a network of NGOs operated by Israel’s Ministry of Strategic Affairs. According to an investigation by The GrayZone, the initial owner of Canary Mission’s domain name was a wealthy pro-Israel lawyer named Howard Sterling. According to Al Jazeera’s censored documentary, ‘The Lobby – USA’, Israel lobby financier Adam Milstein is the main funder of Canary Mission.

At the outset of Israel’s 2023-2024 War on Gaza, and the eruption of pro-Palestine rallies across American college campuses, the Canary Mission immediately began doxxing and blacklisting many of the students involved. At Harvard, after a letter co-signed by 33 student organizations held Israel’s decades long illegal occupation responsible for the unfolding violence, a digital billboard truck began driving around campus portraying enlarged images of students and faculty labeled “Harvard’s Leading Antisemites.” 

Harvard’s newly appointed and first black president, Dr. Claudine Gay, was forced to resign for failing to suppress the massive Palestine solidarity on campus, serving the shortest tenure in the school’s history. Inspired by Columbia University, students formed encampments on at least 80 other university campuses, demanding their school divest from Israel. 

Most of the encampments were raided by police, resulting in thousands of student arrests, suspensions, and expulsions. Columbia’s president was also forced to resign for mishandling the campus protests. After over 300,000 people attended the National March on Washington – the largest pro-Palestine mobilization in US history – the Israel on Campus Coalition offered college students $250 to attend a pro-Israel rally in Washington D.C.

The Israeli entity also receives tremendous amounts of political, financial, and religious support from Christian Zionists, who consider a ‘Jewish State’ over the entirety of historic Palestine a necessary prerequisite to bring about the ‘End Times.’

According to a 2021 research study by the Critical Dictionary of Apocalyptic and Millenarian Movements, “Christian Zionism is a millenarian movement that draws adherents from different denominations and persuasions within the Christian faith. It is primarily made up of those who hold a Protestant evangelical perspective. Zionism is broadly understood as the belief that the Jewish people have a right to return to Israel. Christian Zionism is a particular belief in the Jewish right of return, based upon the Old Testament covenant made by God with Abraham. The term ‘Christian Zionist’ was first used by Theodor Herzl at the First Zionist Congress in 1897.”

Christians United for Israel, led by Texas megachurch pastor John Hagee, is the largest pro-Israel organization in the U.S., with over 10 million members. Hagee has authored many books on Israel’s role in Christian prophecy, explaining how U.S. support for Israel is not only political and economic, but also spiritual. He has referred to such support as “God’s foreign policy” and has warned that if the U.S. does not support Israel, God will not support the U.S. Hagee has long been accused of Islamophobia and antisemitism, infamously saying once that “God sent Adolf Hitler to help Jews reach the promised land.”

Other notable Christian Zionist organizations and lobby groups include the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, Christian Friends Of Israel America, Christians and Jews United for Israel, National Christian Leadership Conference for Israel, The Israel Christian Nexus, and the Christian Broadcasting Network founded by prominent evangelist Pat Robertson. 

According to a 2016 VICE News documentary, “There are close to 70 million evangelicals in America versus less than 14 million Jews worldwide. Given that roughly 80% of these Christians support Israel, that makes American Christians the largest pro-Israel voting bloc in the world.” They mostly belong to ‘Bible Belt’ churches across America’s south and midwest, representing a key part of the Republican party’s conservative coalition.

Christian Zionists believe the ingathering of Jews in Palestine fulfills Biblical prophecy, heralds in the ‘Rapture,’ and precipitates the Second Coming of Christ. Professor Tristan Sturm writes, “Jews are seen as the Chosen People of Earth and are, therefore, to be unwaveringly supported as God’s army soldiering toward the apocalypse. Protestant Christians, on the other hand, are understood as the Chosen People of Heaven and a post-millennium Earth.”

However, such beliefs do not end favorably for Jews nor the Jewish State. Per ‘End Times’ prophecy, most of Israel will be destroyed, and remaining Jews will convert to Christianity. The world will plunge into turmoil, natural disasters, and war – known as the ‘Battle of Armageddon’ – culminating in the return of Jesus Christ who will rule the world from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

Although the Christian Zionist agenda upholds the state of Israel, Professor Yaakov Ariel writes such beliefs inherently view “the Jews as the people who fail to recognise and accept the true Messiah and have thus deprived themselves of both eternal life and sound moral guidelines.” Former ADL director Abraham Foxman states, “It is for their own salvation, not for Jewish salvation…A campaign of Christians to send Jews to Israel is morally offensive.”

Christian Zionists staunchly support Israel’s extreme far-right and vehemently oppose any chance for a Palestinian state. According to former Senate advisor Dr. Clifford Kiracofe, they “oppose the Middle East peace process because they oppose a physical division of Jerusalem or of Israel.” Christian Zionists actively fund Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, call for an end to areas administered by the Palestinian Authority, and constantly stoke regional tension to bring about their messianic ambitions. According to The Forward, the John Hagee Foundation donated over $58 million to far-right Israeli organizations – including settlements – between 2001 and 2015. 

Israel’s far-right do not subscribe to such evangelical beliefs. They do, however, enthusiastically welcome such support. In 2017, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu told a cheering crowd at CUFI’s annual conference, “When I say we have no greater friends than Christian supporters of Israel, I know you’ve always stood with us.” In 2021, former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer urged Israel to prioritize maintaining the “passionate and unequivocal” support of American evangelical Christians over that of American Jews. He added that “People have to understand that the backbone of Israel’s support in the United States is the evangelical Christians,” noting that it’s “very rare” for evangelicals to criticize Israel, while American Jews are “disproportionately among our critics.”

Christian Zionists do not merely have an irrelevant theological worldview; they directly influence policy. They played a crucial role in securing President Trump’s victory in 2016 after he pledged to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel – making the U.S. the only country in the world to make such a claim. After Republicans secured $424 million in campaign contributions from billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, the Trump Administration went on to implement a series of pro-Israel policies, including facilitating the Abraham Accords, proposing the so-called ‘Deal of the Century,’ recognizing Israel’s annexation of Syria’s Golan Heights, withdrawing from the ‘Iran Nuclear Deal,’ and assassinating Iran’s General Qassem Soleimani.

At the outset of Israel’s 2023-2024 War on Gaza, Republicans spearheaded most of the pro-Israel motions, particularly increased military aid. Hagee was a guest speaker at the ‘March for Israel’ rally in D.C. alongside evangelical House speaker Rep. Mike Johnson, who stated that calls for a ceasefire were “outrageous.” 

Many Republican lawmakers conveyed genocidal rhetoric in support of Israel’s scorched earth policy on one of the world’s most densely populated areas. In an interview on Fox News, Sen. Lindsey Graham stated, “We’re in a religious war here. I am with Israel, do whatever the hell you have to do to defend yourself — level the place.” At a town hall, Rep. Tim Walberg declared, “We shouldn’t be spending a dime on humanitarian aid (in Gaza). It should be like Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Get it over quick.” Rep. Max Miller referred to Palestine as “a territory that’s about to probably get eviscerated and go away here shortly, as we’re going to turn that into a parking lot.” In August 2024, Sheldon Adelson’s wife, Miriam, announced a plan to donate over $100 million to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.