On Aug. 26, 2024, WIRED magazine reported that Israel is leveraging Google’s paid advertising feature to disseminate its anti-UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) propaganda. This strategy aims to damage the agency's reputation among users in the United States, the Middle East, and parts of Africa.
The report reveals that in mid-January 2024, Mara Kronenfeld, while searching on Google for the nonprofit organization she manages—which raises funds for UNRWA in the U.S.—noticed a surprising ad at the top of the search results. The ad appeared to promote UNRWA but instead directed users to an Israeli government website. Kronenfeld soon realized this was part of a months long online ad campaign designed to discredit and defund UNRWA.
Israel Accuses UNRWA of Being a Front for Hamas in Gaza
At the time Kronenfeld saw these ads, Israel had already accused 12 UNRWA employees of participating in Hamas attacks on Israeli settlements in October 2023. Israel described UNRWA as a front for Hamas and urged donor countries to halt funding for the agency. This led Kronenfeld to realize that Israel was also trying to tarnish UNRWA's reputation in the United States and cut off donations.
It is noteworthy that despite Israel's efforts, donations to UNRWA saw a significant increase due to the Google ads, especially after Israel launched an all-out war on Gaza. Kronenfeld adds that her organization raised over $32 million from approximately 73,000 donors in 2023, compared to about $5 million from 5,700 donors the previous year.
By purchasing ads that appeared during searches for terms like "UNRWA" and "UNRWA in the United States," the Israeli government seemed to redirect potential donors to a website laden with claims about UNRWA’s unreliability. The site alleged that the agency had failed to clarify whether employing Hamas members would violate its neutrality and that it inadequately monitors its facilities to prevent misuse by extremists.
After tracking the ads funded by the Israeli government's advertising agency, Kronenfeld and her seven-member team swiftly contacted Google for assistance in addressing what they deemed to be a misleading campaign.
What happened next reveals the delicate relationship Google maintains with its advertising client, Israel, and the company's challenges in monitoring ads alleged to contain misleading information. Several current and former Google employees told WIRED that the campaign against UNRWA is one of several advertising campaigns organized by Israel in recent months that have sparked complaints both inside and outside the company. Notably, there have been no reports about ads related to UNRWA or other campaigns targeting the Middle East.
Between May and July 2024, when users searched for over 300 terms related to UNRWA, Israeli ads appeared 44% of the time when both Israeli and UNRWA ads were eligible to show, according to analyses from UNRWA’s Google Ads account in the United States. In contrast, UNRWA ads appeared only 34% of the time in eligible instances.
Donations to UNRWA Increased After Israeli War on Gaza
Kronenfeld says the impact of the Israeli campaign is difficult to measure, as her organization spent tens of thousands of dollars trying to compete in Google search ads. Nonetheless, she notes that UNRWA in the United States raised the same amount in the first half of this year as it did in all of 2023. The number of donors this year reached 78,000, a record for the organization, which was established in 2005.
What truly concerns Kronenfeld is that Americans are being exposed to Israeli propaganda while trying to understand UNRWA’s role in the ongoing crisis. In addition to search ads, Israel ran video ads in the U.S. via Google claiming that “UNRWA is inseparable from Hamas” and that it “keeps employing terrorists.” Discrediting UNRWA could further jeopardize support from the U.S. government, which had been the largest donor to UNRWA until the onset of the war.
Kronenfeld adds, “There is an incredibly powerful campaign to dismantle UNRWA. I want the public to know what’s happening and how insidious this campaign is, especially at a time when civilian lives are under attack in Gaza.”
A Google spokesperson, Jacel Booth, stated that governments can run ads as long as they comply with the company’s policies and that users and employees are encouraged to report any alleged violations. He added, "We consistently enforce our policies impartially, and if we find ads violating these policies, we take immediate action."
WIRED reports that the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to several requests for comment over the past four months.
How Has UNRWA Responded To Israeli Accusations?
With nearly $1.5 billion in annual donor support, UNRWA employs approximately 30,000 people to provide education, nutrition, and care for millions of Palestinian refugees in Gaza and neighboring regions.
Israel has accused UNRWA of obstructing lasting peace by protecting Hamas and enabling the organization, which the U.S. designates as a terrorist group, to instill an ideology of hatred in successive generations, according to Israeli claims.
In response to these accusations, UNRWA has taken several measures. This year, it dismissed 13 employees, including nine individuals identified by a supervisory body, citing potential involvement in a Hamas attack on kibbutz settlements last year based on evidence provided by Israel. Consequently, the United States halted its funding to UNRWA starting in January, while other countries that had suspended their funding this year, including Germany and Switzerland, have pledged to reopen funding channels to the agency.
UNRWA’s commissioner-general, Philippe Lazzarini, has said that his organization plays a neutral and vital role in the region and engages in screening and training to keep Hamas sympathizers out of its ranks.
Kronenfeld notes that Lazzarini's transparency and good-faith efforts have reassured her about their role. Kronenfeld, who joined UNRWA in the U.S. in 2020 because her grandfather had escaped Nazi Germany and instilled in her the belief that no one should be persecuted again based on where they were born, mentioned that among her initiatives was ramping up online advertising, with the aim of bringing in at least $3.90 for every $1 spent.
In 2023, the return on investment was $25 for every $1 spent, but competition from Israel on Google means that UNRWA in the U.S. wins fewer advertising auctions and is likely to reach fewer users with its message.
After Kronenfeld and her colleagues filed a complaint with Google in January 2024 regarding Israeli ads featuring headlines such as "UNRWA for Human Rights," a company representative informed them, without providing a reason, that the ads in question had been removed. Jacel Booth, a Google spokesperson, confirmed that there had been no violation of policies.
By May, according to screenshots reviewed by WIRED, Israel had resumed promoting similar content with tweaked verbiage like "UNRWA Neutrality Compromised," "Israel Unveils UNRWA Issues," and "Israel Advocates for Safer, Transparent Humanitarian Practices," offering users a clearer glimpse of what they would find upon clicking the links.
Complaints About Google’s Ad Policy
Kronenfeld says these revised ads, which UNRWA in the U.S. views as deeply dishonest distortions, have spread across the U.S. and Europe and continue to appear in Google searches as of this month despite further complaints from UNRWA USA. She claims these ads violate Google's policies that prohibit "making claims that are demonstrably false and could significantly undermine participation or trust in an electoral or democratic process." She also believes these ads breach Google's policy prohibiting the use of others' trademarks "in a confusing, deceptive, or misleading way."
It's challenging to get a full view of the extent of Israel's campaign because the mentioned ads do not appear in the "Google Ads Transparency Center," which excludes some ads due to various policies and technical limitations. Google’s Booth says that examples of Israel’s anti-UNRWA ads from January and May, which were shared by WIRED, do not violate company policies.
Complaints about competitors' ads appearing in search results for a specific company or organization are not new to Google. Companies invest substantial amounts to ensure they are not overshadowed by promotional links from rivals that appear at the top of search results for their names.
A study published this year estimated that approximately $50 billion annually, or nearly a third of Google's search ad revenue, comes from ads targeting queries where users are searching for a specific site or brand. Google declined to comment on the study.
Christo Wilson, a computer scientist at Northeastern University who co-authored the study, says, “I suspect Israel is paying a significant amount to make those ads show up consistently,” and given that Google seems unwilling to sacrifice sales by taking action on this issue, Wilson suggests that the organizations being outbid stop trying to advertise for their names. He adds, “A massive pull-out would impact Google’s bottom line,” and concludes by saying, “I understand that would be a very hard pill for a chief marketing officer to swallow when someone is saying your product isn’t good or that you’re a corrupt nonprofit.”
Google bans certain ads from appearing on topics it deems “sensitive,” a policy applied during the 2020 U.S. election, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ongoing war in Gaza, according to the company. However, a Google employee not authorized to speak to the media claims that the company has opted not to take action on searches for “UNRWA” and related terms despite their connection to the conflict. This individual suggests that Google may be concerned that stringent enforcement against Israel could jeopardize future business with the country. Google’s spokesperson, Jacel Booth, disputes the notion that commercial interests influence policy decisions.
Israel Targets the Middle East With Ads To Promote Its Narrative Against UNRWA
A group of Google employees has protested against Israel's use of several of the company's technologies, such as cloud computing and Photos services, as well as what they see as bias from YouTube's management in favor of Israel regarding content policies and monetization. Josh Marxen, a Google Cloud software engineer who also protested against Google’s deal with Israel, known as "Nimbus," says, "We’ve seen Israel creatively weaponize a lot of Google services."
While Nimbus has drawn more widespread and public protest, some employees have expressed frustration within Google about Israel’s ad campaigns, partly due to user complaints.
In October, Google removed around 30 Israeli ads featuring violent imagery following an investigation by Politico. The company also faced criticism for graphic Israeli ads appearing in children's gaming apps.
This was not the first instance of Israeli advertising breaching Google’s rules. For example, YouTube reportedly banned an Israeli ad in May 2021 that claimed the country would defend itself against Hamas for similar reasons.
In April, users on social media, including Nora Ahmed Shaheen, an artist from Egypt, filed complaints about ads that interrupted their YouTube viewing, describing them as shocking and funded by Israel. The ad Shaheen saw was in Arabic and claimed that Hamas could end the war by releasing hostages and relinquishing control over Gaza. Shaheen reported the ad to YouTube, stating, “It's a disgrace that YouTube is providing its platform for a government to force their sick ideologies into my account,” adding that she felt the ad unfairly justified the Israeli attack on Gaza.
Through Google’s ad network, these ads also appeared on news sites in the Middle East and North Africa. According to sources within the company, some users complained to Google about ads promoting Israeli political interests.
Several major publishers in the Arab countries where the ads appeared, including the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain, did not respond to WIRED's request for comment. Google's Booth says publishers can block political ads and specific advertisers.
One source within the company notes that the ads were notable as they were the first known instance in many years of Israel targeting Arab countries with such politically oriented ads. The ads ceased to appear in May when WIRED began inquiring about them with the Israeli Foreign Ministry and Middle Eastern publishers. It remains unclear if the ads are still being displayed in some form. Booth concludes that the company does not have a specific policy regarding Israel's advertising beyond its borders.
One Google employee expressed concern about the company profiting from what they view as Israel’s efforts to pin the blame on organizations such as UNRWA and draw attention away from its own role in the Gaza crisis. Another employee adds that the company "should not be taking that money."
UNRWA spokesperson Juliette Touma states that Israeli ads and their broader social media campaign have severely damaged the agency's reputation. She adds, "These ads destroy lives; they need to stop, and those responsible for this sabotage must be held accountable. There should be substantial follow-up with companies like Google once the war is over. Many questions need to be answered."
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