Israel Signed $45 Million Deal With Google, Propaganda Videos Boosted To Mitigate Reputational Damage Following Gaza Blockade: Report
Tel Aviv, Israel: Google has reportedly signed a six-month, $45 million deal with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office allegedly for the Jewish nation to downplay the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and promote Israeli propaganda amid the total blockade of the war-ravaged strip, reports Drop Site News.
The contract, signed in June this year, involves YouTube and Google’s Display and Video 360 ad platform. Reports claim that the internal document has labeled the deal as a state propaganda campaign.
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The Jewish nation allegedly began the effort to make an agreement with the US tech giant immediately after Israel imposed a total Gaza blockade, cutting off essential surviving items such as food, fuel, medicines among other life-saving supplies.
The Israeli government officials then discussed ways to mitigate the reputation damage following the mounting international pressure in the wake of the country’s Gaza blockade, leading to the deal with Google, the most visited website in the world.
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A video published by Israel’s Foreign Ministry claiming, ‘There is food in Gaza, and any other claim is a lie’ has garnered more than six million views. Notably, much of the video’s view and its amplification is attributed to added spending under Israel’s deal with Google. Much of its views were boosted through paid promotion.
Israel has spent around $3 million on ads via X, and approximately $2.1 million via Outbrain/Teads, apart from Google, suggesting the country’s digital attempt to suppress the Palestinian voice online. It is reported that the campaign has also targeted international institutions such as UNRWA, and legal advocacy groups such as the Hind Rajab Foundation.
However, official UN agencies have declared parts of Gaza to be in famine, and warned of a large-scale humanitarian catastrophe. Health officials reported that more than 43,000 children aged under 5 are suffering from malnutrition alongside 55,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women in the besieged strip.
