Israel Funds AI, Church, VR to Rebuild US Support: Shocking, Right?
When the atrocities on the ground fail to garner sufficient cheerleading, why not digitize the spin? The New Arab details Israel's latest PR push, including an alleged 'October 7 Experience' in VR. (One might wonder if there's a VR 'Nakba Experience' in development for historical context, but don't hold your breath.) This isn't new; governments have been shaping narratives for centuries. What is
new is trying to peddle battlefield success via geofenced churches and AI-generated social media campaigns while simultaneously bombing places of worship and communication infrastructure in Gaza. The US Congress, incidentally, just approved another $14 billion in aid to Israel, with many members who’ve received significant contributions from AIPAC – like Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who took $175,000 in
2022 from pro-Israel groups (OpenSecrets.org), and consistently votes to greenlight more funding. So, as Israeli officials lament dwindling US support, their solution seems to be a high-tech misinformation blitz, rather than, say, stopping the documented mass killings. How many VR experiences does it take to gloss over 37,000+ actual deaths? (Spoiler: The answer isn't in a Meta Quest headset.) It
makes perfect sense for a government that claims to uphold democratic values while actively undermining open discourse with digital psy-ops. The 'free press' we enjoy in the US apparently just needs a little AI-powered, church-targeted 'nudge' to see the light.