To Combat a War of Delegitimization
Why Israel Just Paid Youtube $40M
Israel has reportedly signed a $40 million deal with YouTube to run a massive hasbara campaign, or state-backed public relations, to fight back against a vicious misinformation campaign on the Gaza and Iran wars.
The Israeli government has just inked a hefty $40 million deal with YouTube, part of Alphabet Inc., to pump up its hasbara game, according to recent reports. Signed back in June 2025 and run through Google’s Display & Video 360 platform alongside YouTube, this move is all about shaping the narrative in the midst of some pretty intense regional conflicts, think Gaza and the latest military ops.
This six-month campaign, kicked off by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office with help from the Israeli Government Advertising Agency (Lapam), comes with a $45 million price tag overall, and a big chunk of that is going to YouTube. The contract openly calls it hasbara, a Hebrew word that mixes public relations with a dash of state-backed spin, often used to push back against flak over Israel’s military moves. They’re tapping into YouTube’s massive reach and Google’s ad wizardry to get pro-Israel messages out to the world.
One big piece of this? Ads explaining there’s no shortage of food in Gaza, pushed in a Foreign Ministry YouTube video that’s racked up over 6 million views, thanks to some serious paid boosting. It’s a direct counter to global cries about a "humanitarian crisis" during the Israel-Hamas war. The campaign also takes aim at critics of Israeli ops, including a special push after Operation Rising Lion—a 12-day bombing on Iran in 2025. That op was sold as a must-do for Israel and the West’s safety, with content spread across Google and X.
This deal lands as Israel’s info wars face a harsh spotlight, especially with the heat over its actions in Gaza and Iran. Hasbara, which basically means “explanation” in Hebrew, has turned into a go-to for shaping Israel’s global image, really taking off since the Second Intifada (2000-2005) when the government got serious about it. The $40 million spend seems like a reaction to slipping support in the West, including the U.S., where Congress and the public have been shifting gears, as recent analyses show.
The timing fits with bigger geopolitical headaches, like the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and Iran’s April 2024 drone-and-missile swipe at Israel. Teaming up with a tech giant like Google lets Israel fight back against narratives from Hamas and Hezbollah, groups that’ve mastered social media and dominate the digital battlegrounds where fake news flies.
Obviously the backlash has been fierce. Israeli officials, though, are digging in, calling it a vital shield against a delegitimization war led by Iran and its allies. The Prime Minister’s Office hasn’t weighed in directly but has long defended hasbara as a way to get Israel’s side out amid slanted media coverage.
YouTube and Alphabet Inc. haven’t said anything about the deal, though their past government tie-ins, like ad revenue sharing, give some background. The Israeli government’s keeping mum on how the $40 million is split, leaving us guessing about the breakdown between YouTube and other platforms.