I would love to meet the genius who came up with this idea.

Let’s flood Americans with SMS messages. Let’s ask them the most burning question we need answered. This question will help solve the depths of despair Israel has sunk to in American public opinion. And the question was (drum roll please):  “How do you think the peace talks with Iran will influence world security?” (I am paraphrasing as I did not receive said SMS).

As reported in The Wall Street Journal, Israel signed a nearly $50 million contract for a United States influence campaign. Now this should not concern anyone who cares about Israel’s standing in the world. Not because Israel should remain silent –  or that governments should never advertise, use technology or attempt to influence public opinion. Not because Israel’s enemies have somehow stopped investing enormous resources in shaping the international conversation. My concern is fundamental: Israel continues to treat a crisis of relevance and trust as though it were primarily a problem of message distribution.

According toWSJ (https://www.wsj.com/politics/israels-50-million-experiment-to-change-u-s-public-opinion-253b3b70), the Israeli government funded a broad American influence effort using AI-generated text messages, conservative media, online personalities and other digital strategies. A reported $45 million contract that included millions of AI-driven messages sent to American cellphones through an organization called Friends for Peace. The company producing the texts has reportedly received at least $6.5 million.

That is not merely an SMS campaign. It is part of a much larger and more expensive attempt to reverse Israel’s deteriorating reputation in the United States.

The motivation is understandable. Israel is losing ground (some rightfully argue its already lost it) among Americans at an alarming rate. A Pew Research Center survey conducted in March 2026 found that 60 percent of American adults held an unfavorable view of Israel, up from 53 percent in 2025 and 41 percent in 2022. Among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, the unfavorable figure had reached 80 percent. Even among Republicans under the age of 50, a majority viewed Israel negatively.

Israel clearly has a problem. But millions of text messages are unlikely to solve it.

The Problem Is Not That America Has Not Received Israel’s Message

For decades, Israel has approached public diplomacy through a relatively simple assumption: If people understood Israel better, they would support it more.

When international opinion declined, the prescribed response was usually more information, more spokespeople, more talking points and more explanations. Israelis told themselves that Israel’s policies were misunderstood. They complained that the media were unfair. They argued that Israel had failed to “get its message out.”

Sometimes those criticisms were justified. Israel certainly faces misinformation, deliberate........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)