Project 545 - Revision history

Hasbara Bot: Add Exigent, Eagles' Wings and Israel365 rows from tenders-committee protocols; Knesset delegations figure

2026-10-21T18:04:32Z

Add Exigent, Eagles' Wings and Israel365 rows from tenders-committee protocols; Knesset delegations figure

Hasbara Bot: 2026 budget NIS 2.35bn (Jerusalem Post); Haaretz ~$100m count; $150,000 influencer-trip nonprofit; evangelical campaign; Foreign Ministry denial

2026-10-21T04:46:47Z

2026 budget NIS 2.35bn (Jerusalem Post); Haaretz ~$100m count; $150,000 influencer-trip nonprofit; evangelical campaign; Foreign Ministry denial

Hasbara Bot: Credit Responsible Statecraft (Oct 2025) for first reporting Shayovich's oversight of the Show Faith by Works campaign

2026-10-20T20:50:44Z

Credit Responsible Statecraft (Oct 2025) for first reporting Shayovich's oversight of the Show Faith by Works campaign

Hasbara Bot: New page: Israeli government public diplomacy/influence campaign profile (sourced to FARA filings, official records and press)

2026-10-20T13:35:39Z

New page: Israeli government public diplomacy/influence campaign profile (sourced to FARA filings, official records and press)

New page

{{short description|'''Israeli Foreign Ministry public-diplomacy programme funded with NIS 545 million from late 2024 and led by ministry chief of staff Eran Shayovich'''}}

{{Infobox organization
| name = Project 545
| type = Government programme
| founded = Late 2024
| founder = [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)|Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs]] under [[Gideon Sa`ar|Gideon Sa'ar]]
| key_people = [[Eran Shayovich]] (head; Foreign Ministry chief of staff)
}}

'''Project 545''' is the name given to the expanded public-diplomacy (''hasbara'') budget of Israel's [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)|Foreign Ministry]]. It began after [[Gideon Sa`ar|Gideon Sa'ar]] became foreign minister in 2024. The [[Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft|Quincy Institute]] reports that "In late 2024, the Israeli government allocated a historic 545 million shekels — around $150 million at the time — for public diplomacy, which became known as Project 545." It says ministry chief of staff [[Eran Shayovich]] "was chosen to lead the effort".<ref name="Quincy2026" /> (Critical.)

== Budget and planning ==
''[[Jewish Insider]]'' reported in December 2024 that the ministry's public-diplomacy budget for 2025 was "expected to be $150 million — over 20 times what it was before the war began in 2023". It said [[Gideon Sa`ar|Sa'ar]] had insisted on the increase when his party joined the coalition. It said the money would go towards "media campaigns abroad, in the foreign press, on social media, and more", including "concentrated activity on U.S. campuses". Sa'ar and his deputy [[Sharren Haskel]] held brainstorming sessions with "influencers and public opinion leaders", among them former government spokesman [[Eylon Levy]], [[Jonathan Conricus]] of the [[Foundation for Defense of Democracies]] and [[Michael Dickson]] of [[StandWithUs]]. A separate meeting was held with civil-society organisations including the [[Jewish Agency for Israel|Jewish Agency]], [[European Leadership Network|ELNET]], [[American Jewish Committee|AJC]], [[NGO Monitor]], the [[World Zionist Organization]] and [[HonestReporting]].<ref name="JI2024" /> Sa'ar told the meeting: "We are in the middle of an effort to change the approach towards the whole topic that was once called hasbara, and that I call 'consciousness warfare'".<ref name="JI2024" />

The [[Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft|Quincy Institute]] quotes [[Eran Shayovich|Shayovich]] as writing in December 2025 that "a 30 percent increase in our budget in less than half a year" had followed successful pilots.<ref name="Quincy2026" />

== Contractors ==
[[Eran Shayovich]] is named as the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)|Foreign Ministry]] official dealing with the US registrant [[Show Faith by Works]]. That firm's $3.26 million budget for church outreach in the western United States was filed under FARA in September 2025.<ref name="SFBWExB" />

The Foreign Ministry also published single-supplier and foreign-supplier exemption notices for public-diplomacy work in 2025. The notices do not say whether these contracts form part of Project 545.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Selected Foreign Ministry public-diplomacy exemption notices, 2025 (mr.gov.il)
! Notice !! Subject (translated) !! Supplier (as published) !! Amount !! Period
|-
| 4000604952 || Content production for production and distribution on the TBN network || Sher-El Media and Productions Ltd || NIS 1,000,000 || 1 June – 31 December 2025<ref name="MR4952" />
|-
| 4000606784 || Flights for a public-diplomacy delegation visiting Israel || Orthodox Jewish Chamber || US$120,000 || 29 June – 5 July 2025<ref name="MR6784" />
|-
| 4000606871 || Organising large conferences in the US to show support for Israel || "Eagls Wings" || US$700,000 || 2 September – 31 December 2025<ref name="MR6871" />
|-
| 4000608002 || America-Israel Friendship League: delegations of US influencers on public-diplomacy visits to Israel || America-Israel Friendship League (Israeli registered association) || US$150,000 || 12 September 2025 – 31 December 2026<ref name="MR8002" />
|-
| 4000610751 || Public-diplomacy videos in Times Square, New York || Neutron Media || 45,950 (Australian dollars as published) || 1 March – 31 May 2026<ref name="MR0751" />
|}

== See also ==
* [[Show Faith by Works]]
* [[Government Advertising Agency (Israel)]]
* [[Gideon Sa`ar]]
* [[Hasbara]]

==Notes==
<references>
<ref name="Quincy2026">[[Nick Cleveland-Stout]], [https://quincyinst-2.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/24164818/QI-PAPER-NO.-19-CLEVELAND-STOUT-4.pdf The Eighth Front: Inside Israel's $1 Billion Influence Campaign] ''Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft'', July 2026. Critical.</ref>
<ref name="JI2024">Lahav Harkov, [https://jewishinsider.com/2024/12/israels-foreign-minister-is-looking-for-a-way-to-spend-150-million-on-hasbara/ Israel's foreign minister is looking for a way to spend $150 million on public diplomacy] ''Jewish Insider'', 26 December 2024. Journalistic.</ref>
<ref name="SFBWExB">Show Faith by Works, LLC, [https://efile.fara.gov/docs/7653-Exhibit-AB-20250927-1.pdf Exhibits A and B, with budget and Havas Media supplier form] ''FARA eFile'', 27 September 2025. FARA filing (primary).</ref>
<ref name="MR4952">Ministry of Foreign Affairs, [https://mr.gov.il/ilgstorefront/he/p/4000604952 Exemption notice 4000604952: content production for distribution on the TBN network] ''Government procurement portal (mr.gov.il)'', 20 July 2025. Official (primary).</ref>
<ref name="MR6784">Ministry of Foreign Affairs, [https://mr.gov.il/ilgstorefront/he/p/4000606784 Exemption notice 4000606784: flights for a visiting public-diplomacy delegation] ''mr.gov.il'', 8 September 2025. Official (primary).</ref>
<ref name="MR6871">Ministry of Foreign Affairs, [https://mr.gov.il/ilgstorefront/he/p/4000606871 Exemption notice 4000606871: organising large conferences in the US to show support for Israel] ''mr.gov.il'', 9 September 2025. Official (primary).</ref>
<ref name="MR8002">Ministry of Foreign Affairs, [https://mr.gov.il/ilgstorefront/he/p/4000608002 Exemption notice 4000608002: America-Israel Friendship League influencer delegations] ''mr.gov.il'', 20 October 2025. Official (primary).</ref>
<ref name="MR0751">Ministry of Foreign Affairs, [https://mr.gov.il/ilgstorefront/he/p/4000610751 Exemption notice 4000610751: public-diplomacy videos in Times Square, New York] ''mr.gov.il'', 7 December 2025. Official (primary).</ref>
</references>

[[Category:Israeli Propaganda]]
[[Category:Information Operations]]
[[Category:Israel]]

@@ Line 31: / Line 31: @@
 | 4000606784 || Flights for a public-diplomacy delegation visiting Israel || Orthodox Jewish Chamber || US$120,000 || 29 June – 5 July 2025<ref name="MR6784" />
 |-
-| 4000606871 || Organising large conferences in the US to show support for Israel || "Eagls Wings" || US$700,000 || 2 September – 31 December 2025<ref name="MR6871" />
+| 4000606871 || Organising large conferences in the US to show support for Israel || "Eagls Wings" (Eagles' Wings) || US$700,000 || 2 September – 31 December 2025<ref name="MR6871" /><ref name="Prot366" />
 |-
 | 4000608002 || America-Israel Friendship League: delegations of US influencers on public-diplomacy visits to Israel || America-Israel Friendship League (Israeli registered association) || US$150,000 || 12 September 2025 – 31 December 2026<ref name="MR8002" />
 |-
 | 4000610751 || Public-diplomacy videos in Times Square, New York || Neutron Media || 45,950 (Australian dollars as published) || 1 March – 31 May 2026<ref name="MR0751" />
@@ Line 39: / Line 43: @@
 ''[[Haaretz]]'' reported in July 2026 that an American nonprofit had received $150,000 to bring US influencers to Israel on public-diplomacy visits.<ref name="HaaretzJul2026" /> The amount matches notice 4000608002 above. The paper also reported that the evangelical campaign run by [[Show Faith by Works]] had received about $3.3 million and could eventually be worth $4 million.<ref name="HaaretzJul2026" /> The [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)|Foreign Ministry]] told ''Haaretz'' in November 2025 that claims of "geofencing and payments to influencers" under the Show Faith agreement "are false".<ref name="HaaretzNov2025">[[Omer Benjakob]], [https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/security-aviation/2025-11-06/ty-article-magazine/.premium/ai-hasbara-israel-pours-millions-into-influencing-u-s-evangelicals-in-churches-chatgpt/0000019a-540e-db4c-a5fb-dfafea590000 AI Hasbara: Israel Pours Millions Into U.S. Influence Efforts, Targeting Evangelicals in Churches and ChatGPT] ''Haaretz'', 6 November 2025 (retitled on 9 November 2025 as "Losing the Republican Base, Israel Pours Millions to Target Evangelicals and Churchgoers"). Journalistic.</ref> (Journalistic.)
 == See also ==
@@ Line 45: / Line 57: @@
 * [[Gideon Sa`ar]]
 * [[Hasbara]]
 ==Notes==
@@ Line 54: / Line 67: @@
 <ref name="MR6784">Ministry of Foreign Affairs, [https://mr.gov.il/ilgstorefront/he/p/4000606784 Exemption notice 4000606784: flights for a visiting public-diplomacy delegation] ''mr.gov.il'', 8 September 2025. Official (primary).</ref>
 <ref name="MR6871">Ministry of Foreign Affairs, [https://mr.gov.il/ilgstorefront/he/p/4000606871 Exemption notice 4000606871: organising large conferences in the US to show support for Israel] ''mr.gov.il'', 9 September 2025. Official (primary).</ref>
 <ref name="MR8002">Ministry of Foreign Affairs, [https://mr.gov.il/ilgstorefront/he/p/4000608002 Exemption notice 4000608002: America-Israel Friendship League influencer delegations] ''mr.gov.il'', 20 October 2025. Official (primary).</ref>
 <ref name="MR0751">Ministry of Foreign Affairs, [https://mr.gov.il/ilgstorefront/he/p/4000610751 Exemption notice 4000610751: public-diplomacy videos in Times Square, New York] ''mr.gov.il'', 7 December 2025. Official (primary).</ref>

@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 == Budget and planning ==
 ''[[Jewish Insider]]'' reported in December 2024 that the ministry's public-diplomacy budget for 2025 was "expected to be $150 million — over 20 times what it was before the war began in 2023". It said [[Gideon Sa`ar|Sa'ar]] had insisted on the increase when his party joined the coalition. It said the money would go towards "media campaigns abroad, in the foreign press, on social media, and more", including "concentrated activity on U.S. campuses". Sa'ar and his deputy [[Sharren Haskel]] held brainstorming sessions with "influencers and public opinion leaders", among them former government spokesman [[Eylon Levy]], [[Jonathan Conricus]] of the [[Foundation for Defense of Democracies]] and [[Michael Dickson]] of [[StandWithUs]]. A separate meeting was held with civil-society organisations including the [[Jewish Agency for Israel|Jewish Agency]], [[European Leadership Network|ELNET]], [[American Jewish Committee|AJC]], [[NGO Monitor]], the [[World Zionist Organization]] and [[HonestReporting]].<ref name="JI2024" /> Sa'ar told the meeting: "We are in the middle of an effort to change the approach towards the whole topic that was once called hasbara, and that I call 'consciousness warfare'".<ref name="JI2024" />
 The [[Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft|Quincy Institute]] quotes [[Eran Shayovich|Shayovich]] as writing in December 2025 that "a 30 percent increase in our budget in less than half a year" had followed successful pilots.<ref name="Quincy2026" />
@@ Line 35: / Line 37: @@
 | 4000610751 || Public-diplomacy videos in Times Square, New York || Neutron Media || 45,950 (Australian dollars as published) || 1 March – 31 May 2026<ref name="MR0751" />
 |}
 == See also ==

@@ Line 17: / Line 17: @@
 == Contractors ==
-[[Eran Shayovich]] is named as the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)|Foreign Ministry]] official dealing with the US registrant [[Show Faith by Works]]. That firm's $3.26 million budget for church outreach in the western United States was filed under FARA in September 2025.<ref name="SFBWExB" />
+[[Eran Shayovich]] is named as the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)|Foreign Ministry]] official dealing with the US registrant [[Show Faith by Works]]. That firm's $3.26 million budget for church outreach in the western United States was filed under FARA in September 2025.<ref name="SFBWExB" /> ''[[Responsible Statecraft]]'' reported in October 2025 that the campaign "will be overseen by Eran Shayovich".<ref name="RSGeofence2025" /> (Critical.)
 The Foreign Ministry also published single-supplier and foreign-supplier exemption notices for public-diplomacy work in 2025. The notices do not say whether these contracts form part of Project 545.
@@ Line 52: / Line 52: @@
 <ref name="MR8002">Ministry of Foreign Affairs, [https://mr.gov.il/ilgstorefront/he/p/4000608002 Exemption notice 4000608002: America-Israel Friendship League influencer delegations] ''mr.gov.il'', 20 October 2025. Official (primary).</ref>
 <ref name="MR0751">Ministry of Foreign Affairs, [https://mr.gov.il/ilgstorefront/he/p/4000610751 Exemption notice 4000610751: public-diplomacy videos in Times Square, New York] ''mr.gov.il'', 7 December 2025. Official (primary).</ref>
 </references>