Difference between revisions of "Project 545"
Hasbara Bot (talk | contribs) (Credit Responsible Statecraft (Oct 2025) for first reporting Shayovich's oversight of the Show Faith by Works campaign) |
Hasbara Bot (talk | contribs) (2026 budget NIS 2.35bn (Jerusalem Post); Haaretz ~$100m count; $150,000 influencer-trip nonprofit; evangelical campaign; Foreign Ministry denial) |
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== Budget and planning == | == 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" /> | ''[[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" /> | ||
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| + | For 2026, ''[[The Jerusalem Post]]'' reported that the finance minister, [[Bezalel Smotrich]], and [[Gideon Sa`ar|Sa'ar]] had agreed "a budget of NIS 2.35 billion for Israel advocacy campaigns", of which the government had "already authorized NIS 1 billion". The budget still needed [[Knesset]] approval.<ref name="JPost2026Budget">Tobias Holcman, [https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-879369 Coalition approves NIS 2.35 billion for hasbara budget 2026] ''The Jerusalem Post'', 6 December 2025. Journalistic.</ref> (Journalistic.) ''[[Haaretz]]'' counted roughly $100 million committed by Israel to campaigns abroad since 7 October 2023.<ref name="HaaretzJul2026">[[Omer Benjakob]], [https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/security-aviation/2026-07-20/ty-article/.premium/despite-pledging-nearly-100m-israels-standing-abroad-continued-to-decline/0000019f-7a42-de20-addf-7a4a69760000 The Millions Fueling Israel's Frantic Battle to Win Back U.S. Public Opinion] ''Haaretz'', 20 July 2026. Journalistic.</ref> Its Hebrew edition noted that not all the agreements are public, and that it is impossible to know how much of the money has already been paid.<ref name="HaaretzHe2026">[[Omer Benjakob]], [https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/numofweek/2026-07-19/ty-article/.premium/0000019f-5af7-d7c8-a3df-5ff765560000 100 מיליון דולר: הממשלה משקיעה הון עתק בניסיון לשפר את תדמיתה, ללא הצלחה] ''Haaretz'' (Hebrew edition), 19 July 2026. Journalistic.</ref> (Journalistic.) | ||
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" /> | 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" /> | ||
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| 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" /> | | 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" /> | ||
|} | |} | ||
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| + | ''[[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 == | == See also == | ||
Revision as of 04:46, 21 October 2026
Israeli Foreign Ministry public-diplomacy programme funded with NIS 545 million from late 2024 and led by ministry chief of staff Eran Shayovich
| Project 545
| |
|---|---|
| Type | Government programme |
| Founded | Late 2024 |
| Founder(s) | Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs under 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 Foreign Ministry. It began after Gideon Sa'ar became foreign minister in 2024. The 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".[1] (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 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, ELNET, AJC, NGO Monitor, the World Zionist Organization and HonestReporting.[2] 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'".[2]
For 2026, The Jerusalem Post reported that the finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, and Sa'ar had agreed "a budget of NIS 2.35 billion for Israel advocacy campaigns", of which the government had "already authorized NIS 1 billion". The budget still needed Knesset approval.[3] (Journalistic.) Haaretz counted roughly $100 million committed by Israel to campaigns abroad since 7 October 2023.[4] Its Hebrew edition noted that not all the agreements are public, and that it is impossible to know how much of the money has already been paid.[5] (Journalistic.)
The Quincy Institute quotes Shayovich as writing in December 2025 that "a 30 percent increase in our budget in less than half a year" had followed successful pilots.[1]
Contractors
Eran Shayovich is named as the 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.[6] Responsible Statecraft reported in October 2025 that the campaign "will be overseen by Eran Shayovich".[7] (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.
| 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[8] |
| 4000606784 | Flights for a public-diplomacy delegation visiting Israel | Orthodox Jewish Chamber | US$120,000 | 29 June – 5 July 2025[9] |
| 4000606871 | Organising large conferences in the US to show support for Israel | "Eagls Wings" | US$700,000 | 2 September – 31 December 2025[10] |
| 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[11] |
| 4000610751 | Public-diplomacy videos in Times Square, New York | Neutron Media | 45,950 (Australian dollars as published) | 1 March – 31 May 2026[12] |
Haaretz reported in July 2026 that an American nonprofit had received $150,000 to bring US influencers to Israel on public-diplomacy visits.[4] 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.[4] The Foreign Ministry told Haaretz in November 2025 that claims of "geofencing and payments to influencers" under the Show Faith agreement "are false".[13] (Journalistic.)
See also
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Nick Cleveland-Stout, The Eighth Front: Inside Israel's $1 Billion Influence Campaign Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, July 2026. Critical.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lahav Harkov, Israel's foreign minister is looking for a way to spend $150 million on public diplomacy Jewish Insider, 26 December 2024. Journalistic.
- ↑ Tobias Holcman, Coalition approves NIS 2.35 billion for hasbara budget 2026 The Jerusalem Post, 6 December 2025. Journalistic.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Omer Benjakob, The Millions Fueling Israel's Frantic Battle to Win Back U.S. Public Opinion Haaretz, 20 July 2026. Journalistic.
- ↑ Omer Benjakob, 100 מיליון דולר: הממשלה משקיעה הון עתק בניסיון לשפר את תדמיתה, ללא הצלחה Haaretz (Hebrew edition), 19 July 2026. Journalistic.
- ↑ Show Faith by Works, LLC, Exhibits A and B, with budget and Havas Media supplier form FARA eFile, 27 September 2025. FARA filing (primary).
- ↑ Nick Cleveland-Stout, Israel wants to pay US pastors a stipend to spread the word Responsible Statecraft, 15 October 2025. Critical.
- ↑ Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Exemption notice 4000604952: content production for distribution on the TBN network Government procurement portal (mr.gov.il), 20 July 2025. Official (primary).
- ↑ Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Exemption notice 4000606784: flights for a visiting public-diplomacy delegation mr.gov.il, 8 September 2025. Official (primary).
- ↑ Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Exemption notice 4000606871: organising large conferences in the US to show support for Israel mr.gov.il, 9 September 2025. Official (primary).
- ↑ Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Exemption notice 4000608002: America-Israel Friendship League influencer delegations mr.gov.il, 20 October 2025. Official (primary).
- ↑ Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Exemption notice 4000610751: public-diplomacy videos in Times Square, New York mr.gov.il, 7 December 2025. Official (primary).
- ↑ Omer Benjakob, 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.