Netanyahu Blames Foreign Bot Farms for Falling U.S. Support for Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pointed to foreign social-media manipulation as a central factor behind declining American support for Israel, telling CBS News that the erosion in U.S. backing for the country "correlates almost 100% with the geometric rise of social media." In the interview with CBS's "60 Minutes," the Prime Minister framed foreign bot farms and algorithms as key mechanisms amplifying anti-Israel sentiment among American audiences.

The Details

In the interview with CBS's "60 Minutes," Netanyahu alleged that several unnamed countries had "basically manipulated social media in a way that hurt us badly." He characterized foreign bot farms and algorithms as central mechanisms amplifying anti-Israel sentiment among American audiences. The Prime Minister's remarks came during an exchange in which CBS sought to examine why Israel's support in the United States has deteriorated since the beginning of the war in Gaza. Reuters, which reported on the interview, noted that public support in the U.S. has frayed since the Gaza war began in October 2023.

Netanyahu did not name the specific countries he accused of orchestrating online campaigns against Israel, and the brief excerpts released by CBS did not include further elaboration on how the alleged manipulation operated or which platforms were involved. The Prime Minister's explanation centered on the rapid expansion of social media as a communications medium and its use by outside actors to shape American perspectives on the conflict. He offered the social-media correlation as part of his response to questions about why American backing for Israel had weakened.

Beyond the social-media claims, the interview also addressed the material underpinnings of the U.S.-Israel relationship. Reuters reported that the United States provides Israel roughly $3.8 billion in military aid annually under a 2018–2028 assistance agreement.

The Prime Minister's comments coincide with stark polling data from Pew Research Center. A survey conducted March 23–29, 2026 found that 60% of U.S. adults held an unfavorable view of Israel. The same poll showed 59% of American adults had little or no confidence in Netanyahu to do the right thing regarding world affairs.

Context

Pew's survey results highlighted a pronounced negative shift in American public sentiment toward Israel over the preceding year. Unfavorable views of Israel among U.S. adults rose seven points from spring 2025 to spring 2026. The survey found particularly sharp negative ratings among younger adults and Democrats, indicating that negative sentiment is not evenly distributed across the American electorate. The Pew survey found that Netanyahu himself faces significant skepticism from the American public, with nearly six in ten adults expressing little or no confidence in his handling of world affairs.

Netanyahu's framing of the issue—that foreign bot operations are chiefly responsible for the downturn in support—stands in contrast to arguments made by some critics. Those critics contend that the erosion in U.S. support reflects Israel's conduct in Gaza rather than foreign manipulation. The available coverage of the CBS interview centers on Netanyahu's explanation rather than independently proving his causation claim. CBS's excerpt does not independently verify the Prime Minister's bot-farm allegation, nor does it identify the foreign countries he referenced. The available source material consists of a clip and Reuters summary rather than a full verbatim transcript of the relevant portion of the exchange.

What's Next

Netanyahu's allegations of foreign bot-farm involvement remain unverified in the excerpts released by CBS, and no specific countries have been publicly identified as the source of the purported manipulation. The full context of the "60 Minutes" conversation has not been released in transcript form, leaving gaps in the available record of the exchange and the specific evidence behind the Prime Minister's claims.

The question of what is driving declining American support for Israel remains contested. The United States is slated to provide roughly $3.8 billion in annual military aid through 2028 under the existing agreement. Pew's findings show demographic and partisan differences in American views of Israel, with younger adults and Democrats recording especially unfavorable assessments in the March 2026 survey. Netanyahu's assertion that social media manipulation explains the decline remains a contested claim, with critics attributing the shift to factors related to Israel's conduct in Gaza.