The Lie:

• Israel is trying to own and control social media platforms like TikTok, proving that “Jews control everything.”

The Truth:

• Israel is not attempting to buy or control TikTok. Like many governments worldwide, it engages in online influence campaigns to improve its international image.

Background:

• On December 10, 2025, Tucker Carlson and Theo Von accused Israel of trying to control TikTok. Carlson claimed this “confirmed” antisemitic conspiracy theories about Jewish global control.
• Von played a clip from September in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told social media influencers that Israel must fight its information war on social media and that “the most important purchase going on right now is TikTok.” (X)
• This was misinterpreted as Israel trying to buy TikTok.

Truth Explained:

• Netanyahu was referring to the importance of social media platforms—influencers, ads, content—not literal ownership of TikTok.
• Israel is not bidding for TikTok. The four main investors are Oracle, Silver Lake, Abu Dhabi’s MGX, and ByteDance (China). (CNBC)
• Claims that Oracle or Silver Lake are “pro-Israel” because their founders are Jewish ignore that MGX is Muslim-owned and China is openly hostile toward Israel. (CNBC), (Ynet News)
• Netanyahu’s remarks concerned a digital influence strategy, a standard practice among governments.
• Israel’s online influence efforts are not unique. Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, India, Pakistan, China, Vietnam, Ethiopia, Turkey, Malaysia and others routinely run coordinated campaigns, including bots and paid influencers. (New York Times), (University of California), (National Defense University Press), (University of Oxford)
• China uses large-scale covert networks (“Spamouflage”) to push pro-Beijing narratives. (AP)
• Russia deploys troll farms, state media, and embassy accounts to spread Kremlin messaging. (New York Times), (University of California)
• Gulf states run lavish, centrally managed digital campaigns to promote events like the Qatar World Cup and Saudi Vision 2030.(INSS)
• The United States, EU, and other democracies also fund online outreach, public diplomacy, and social media partnerships to promote policy goals and soft power. (University of California), (Carnegie Endowment)
• Israel’s strategy is simply part of this widely used global toolkit, it is not evidence of a Jewish plot or control of social media platforms.

Quotes:

• “An influence operation is fundamentally a way of trying to shape how another government or its people think about a set of political activities.” — Jacob Shapiro, professor of politics and international affairs
• “In 62 countries, we found evidence of a government agency using computational propaganda to shape public attitudes.” —- report from the University of Oxford

Takeaway:

• Israel’s use of social media influence campaigns is standard statecraft practiced by dozens of governments worldwide; claims that it proves “Jewish control” rely on misinterpretation and classic conspiracy tropes, not facts. These accusations ignore that virtually every country, including Islamic states like Qatar, which Tucker Carlson often praises—runs extensive social media influence campaigns to shape public opinion and advance national interests. Israel’s efforts are simply part of a global norm of state-led digital diplomacy and soft power.