Israel Paid Influencers Up to $7,000 Per Post in Covert Social Media Campaign, Documents Reveal

In a rare public acknowledgment, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed last week that his government is actively enlisting social media influencers to counter international narratives about Israel—a move now backed by financial records showing payments of up to $7,000 per post.

Speaking at a closed-door meeting last Friday, Netanyahu emphasized the strategic value of digital voices:

“We have to fight back. How do we fight back? Our influencers. I think you should also talk to them if you have a chance—to that community. They are very important.” 

Now, newly filed U.S. government documents reveal the scale and structure of that effort.

The “Esther Project”: A $900,000 Influencer Campaign
According to records submitted under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs contracted Bridge Partners, a Washington, D.C.–based firm, to run a social media campaign dubbed the “Esther Project.”

Bridge Partners, co-founded by Yair Levi and Uri Steinberg, billed $900,000 to Havas Media Group Germany—a global agency working on Israel’s behalf—for influencer content between June and November 2024.

The campaign involved 14 to 18 influencers across platforms like Instagram and TikTok, tasked with producing an estimated 75 to 90 posts during the initial phase (June–September).

After accounting for production, legal, banking, and administrative fees—totaling approximately $347,000—roughly $552,946 was allocated directly to influencer compensation.

That breaks down to:

$6,143 per post (low estimate, based on 90 posts)
$7,372 per post (high estimate, based on 75 posts)
Shadowy Structure, High-Profile Ties
Bridge Partners describes its mission as promoting “cultural interchange between the United States and Israel.” Yet its team includes Nadav Shtrauchler, a former major in the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, signaling deep ties to Israel’s official messaging apparatus.

The firm’s legal counsel? Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman—the same U.S. law firm that previously represented NSO Group, the controversial Israeli developer of Pegasus spyware.

Neither Havas Media Group nor Bridge Partners responded to requests for comment on which influencers participated, how much each received, or the specific content guidelines they followed.

Is This “Propaganda”—or Public Diplomacy?
Governments routinely engage in public diplomacy—efforts to explain policies and shape international perception. But when such campaigns involve covert payments to social media personalities who may not disclose their state ties, ethical and legal questions arise.

U.S. law requires foreign agents to register and disclose their activities—hence the FARA filing. But critics argue that influencer-driven messaging blurs the line between advocacy and manipulation, especially when audiences believe they’re seeing organic opinion, not paid state content.

Adding to the intrigue: the campaign’s name, “Esther Project,” bears a striking resemblance to “Project Esther”—a separate initiative by the conservative Heritage Foundation that seeks to reframe criticism of Israel as support for terrorism. No formal link between the two has been established.

What This Means for Digital Discourse
As social media becomes a battleground for geopolitical narratives, transparency is paramount. When a post praising Israel’s policies appears in a user’s feed, should followers know it was funded by a foreign government?

For now, the identities of the influencers—and the full scope of their content—remain undisclosed. But one thing is clear: digital influence has a price tag, and in this case, it’s measured in thousands of dollars per scroll.

Source:
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/israel-influencers-netanyahu/
https://efile.fara.gov/docs/7652-Exhibit-AB-20250926-1.pdf
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadav-shtrauchler/
https://efile.fara.gov/docs/5198-Exhibit-AB-20210630-57.pdf
https://www.heritage.org/progressivism/report/project-esther-national-strategy-combat-antisemitism
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/18/us/project-esther-heritage-foundation-palestine.html