A story on the Wired website claimed that the Israeli government has been paying Google to conduct a campaign of targeted internet adverts aimed at discrediting the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
Israel accused twelve UNRWA employees of taking part in a Hamas attack on Israel in October at this same period.
Israeli leaders called UNRWA an Israeli front organization and demanded that foreign donors—including the US—stop sponsoring it.
The objective of the effort was to harm UNRWA’s standing and decrease funding to UNRWA USA, which had experienced a sharp rise in funding as a result of the Gaza crisis.
According to a Google source, this ad campaign was unique as it marked the first time in many years that the Israeli government had targeted political advertisements in Arab nations.
After WIRED started contacting Middle East publications and Israel’s foreign ministry, the campaign appeared to be coming to an end around May.
Since Google does not have a defined policy governing political advertisements from Israel outside of its boundaries, it is unknown if the ads are still running.
Concerns about Google making money off of what they perceive as Israel’s attempt to place the blame elsewhere and divert attention away from its own involvement in the Gaza situation have been voiced by Google employees.
“You shouldn’t be taking that money,” an employee said.
The advertisements have seriously damaged UNRWA’s credibility, according to UNRWA spokesperson Juliette Touma.
According to her, “people are being destroyed by these ads.”
“They must cease, and those in charge of this sabotage must be held accountable. After the battle is finished, there need to be a great deal of follow-up with businesses like Google. One must address several issues.”