The Propaganda Budget
From $7.5 million to $730 million in two years. Nearly $1 billion dedicated to shaping how the world perceives Israel. This is where the money comes from and where it goes.
$150M (2025) + $630-730M (2026). For context, Israel's entire pre-2025 annual propaganda budget was approximately $7.5 million.
Budget Timeline
Baseline annual hasbara budget
20x increase, secured by FM Gideon Sa'ar
Approved by Israeli cabinet
For comparison:The entire US State Department public diplomacy budget — covering worldwide operations across every country — is approximately $1.5 billion. Israel is spending nearly half that amount on propaganda targeting primarily the United States.
Sources: Times of Israel, The New Arab, Word&Way
What It Funds
Paid Influencer Campaigns
Social media content creators paid $6-7K per post to produce pro-Israel content on TikTok and Instagram. Operated through shell companies like Bridges Partners LLC.
Pastor Delegations
All-expenses-paid trips flying American pastors to Israel. 1,000 in 2025, with plans for 10,000 in 2026. Pastors trained as 'ambassadors' for their congregations.
Digital Warfare Units
Organized social media operations including content creation, narrative management, comment campaigns, and coordinated posting across platforms.
Think Tank Funding
Grants to policy organizations that produce papers, host events, and provide media commentators who advance pro-Israel positions in mainstream discourse.
Media Monitoring & Rapid Response
Real-time tracking of global media coverage with rapid response teams that contact editors, file complaints, and push for corrections or retractions.
Content Production
Multi-language content creation for social media, websites, and traditional media in English, Spanish, Arabic, French, German, and other languages.
The Scale in Context
Israel has a population of approximately 9.8 million people. Its 2026 hasbara budget means the government is spending roughly $65-$75 per citizen per year on foreign-facing propaganda.
The United States, with 335 million people and a $1.5 billion public diplomacy budget, spends about $4.50 per citizen. Israel is spending 15x more per capita on propaganda than the US spends on all worldwide public diplomacy combined.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is hasbara?
Hasbara (Hebrew for 'explaining') is Israel's term for its public diplomacy and international propaganda efforts. While officially framed as 'public diplomacy,' the scale and methods — paid influencers, pastor trips, digital warfare units, think tank funding — go far beyond traditional diplomacy into active information warfare. The hasbara budget is managed by Israel's Foreign Ministry and has grown from ~$7.5 million annually to $630-730 million in 2026. Sources: Times of Israel, The New Arab.
How much has Israel's propaganda budget grown?
The growth is exponential. Pre-2025, Israel spent approximately $7.5 million per year on hasbara. In 2025, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar secured $150 million — a 20x increase. For 2026, the Israeli cabinet approved $630-730 million. That's nearly $1 billion in two years, representing a roughly 100x increase from historical levels. No other country spends this proportion of its budget on foreign-facing propaganda. Sources: Times of Israel, The New Arab.
What does the hasbara budget fund?
The budget funds a wide range of influence operations including: paid social media influencer campaigns (the 'Esther Project'), all-expenses-paid trips for thousands of US pastors, digital warfare and social media campaign units, think tank funding and policy paper commissioning, media monitoring and rapid response teams, and content creation for multiple platforms in multiple languages. Sources: Times of Israel, Truthout, Responsible Statecraft.
How does Israel's propaganda spending compare to other countries?
Israel's $730 million 2026 hasbara budget dwarfs comparable spending by other nations. For context, the entire budget of the US State Department's public diplomacy division is approximately $1.5 billion — for worldwide operations across every country. Israel is spending nearly half that amount on propaganda targeting a handful of Western nations, primarily the United States. Sources: Times of Israel, US State Department budget documents.
Sources
Times of Israel: Israeli Foreign Ministry hasbara budget reporting — timesofisrael.com
The New Arab: Israeli cabinet approval of $630-730M hasbara budget — newarab.com
Word&Way: Pastor mobilization and hasbara funding connection — wordandway.org
US State Department: Budget documents for public diplomacy comparison — state.gov