In a striking development, the complete text of a letter from the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has surfaced.
The discovery offers fresh insight into Kirk’s intricate perspective on Israel.
The letter, released by the New York Post, reflects Kirk’s profound respect for Israel while pressing for a significant shift in its public communication approach, amid a heated dispute over his views following his tragic death on Sept. 10 in Utah.
Read Charlie Kirk’s Letter To Benjamin Netanyahu in Full
FROM THE DESK OF CHARLIE KIRK
Dear Mr. Prime Minister, One of my greatest joys as a Christian is advocating for Israel and forming alliances with Jews in the fight to protect Judeo-Christian civilization. Most recently, I am proud to have taken over Ambassador Huckabee’s show on TBN where we continually support Israel and the Jewish people. As Muhammadism spreads into Western societies, it’s critical that Jews and Christians stay united in the effort to contain and roll back radical Islam and Sharia law. I regret to report that anti-Israel and antisemitic trends are at record levels on social media. These negative sentiments then flow downstream into college campuses and even seep into the conservative MAGA community.
My team and I have spent months analyzing these trends and debating ideas that could help you and your country push back against these disturbing developments. Anti-Israel sentiment can undermine American support for Israel. The purpose of this letter is to lay out our concerns and outline potential remedies. Everything written here is from a place of deep love for Israel and the Jewish people. I think it’s important to be brutally honest with those you love. In my opinion, Israel is losing the information war and needs a “communications intervention.”
I started to compose this letter to you on Easter. I should have been focused on my family, but I was getting bombarded with messages about the Israeli army making it difficult for Christians to access church in Jerusalem on Easter. At the time, I did not see any official statements pushing back on this narrative. It was frustrating because pro-Israel surrogates like me should not be in charge of fact-checking every piece of anti-Israel misinformation that pours into social media. It wasn’t just Easter. On my recent campus tours, half the questions I get are about Israel and they’re all negative.
I often spend half my time on these campus tours defending Jews and Israel which I’m proud to do because I love Israel and love the Jewish faith. I spent endless hours with Dennis Prager over the years studying the Torah. Sometimes, it feels like I’m defending Israel in public more than your own government.
My experience on college campuses matches a recent Harvard Harris poll which reported 48% of 18—24 year old Americans support Hamas over Israel. Even in young MAGA circles, Israel is losing support. We are getting huge crowds of 4,000—5,000 students on some of my college tours. My campus visits are becoming like a rock concert atmosphere filled with conservative patriots. Yet, on these campus visits, I’m constantly confronted with:
“Israel is an apartheid state.”
“Why does Israel conduct ethnic cleansing?”
“Why is America subsidizing Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people?”
“Is American aid helping to subsidize Israel’s free health care?”
“Israel and the Jews are running U.S. foreign policy.”
“Israel and Jews are responsible for 9/11.”
“Defending Israel is not in our U.S. national interest.”
“Why is Israel trying to drag us into a war in the Middle East?”
Above are just a sampling of the negative Israel/Jewish comments and questions I confront on college campuses. I’m accused of being a paid apologist for Israel when I defend her; however, if I don’t defend Israel strongly enough, I’m accused of being antisemitic. I know you’ve got a seven-front war and my kvetching pales in comparison. But I’m trying to convey to you that Israel is losing support even in conservative circles. This should be a five-alarm fire.
I’m often asked, “Why is Israel killing so many innocent civilians in Gaza?” I know Israel goes to great lengths by dropping flyers and even calling civilians to clear out of areas about to be bombed. I know Israel posts maps showing which areas should be evacuated. I know that Hamas uses civilians as human shields. But 90% of the younger generations get their news from social media and podcasts and there is very little pushback or fact-checking by the Israeli government and/or pro-Israel supporters in the media (especially social media).
I strongly suggest Israel NOT always depend on “subcontracting” their information war efforts to surrogates in America. Mr. Prime Minister, I urge you to REVAMP your information warfare strategy from top to bottom. Sometimes, the impression is given that Israel thinks everyone hates them so why care about winning over hearts and minds? If there’s any truth to this impression, I urge you to consider that social media and podcasts are where you fight for the hearts and minds of the younger generation. Obviously, all this negative Israel propaganda on social media easily translates into pro-Hamas “Free Palestine” sentiment on many college campuses.
Here are some unsolicited recommendations my team and I suggest if you’re open-minded to a communications reset:
1) For starters, you need a rapid response media team. President Trump does this very effectively on social media with his own account and his White House Rapid Response 47 team. The President has strong fighters like Stephen Miller and Karoline Leavitt who battle the press every day. Honestly, I don’t even know if you have a press secretary. You are an eloquent defender of Israel, but you need a team of information warriors out there pushing back every day. There’s also hundreds of millions of dollars raised by private pro-Israel groups. Some of this money should be directed into creating pro-Israel ORIGINAL homegrown content. Next, promote this content on Israel-operated social media channels and websites. Use some of these funds to start the Israel Truth Network (ITN).
2) I strongly recommend putting together a team of pro-Israel experts who can fact-check misinformation in real time from Israel. Israel needs to take the lead in this effort—no more dependence on subcontractors. Israel never asks for American troops because Israel does its own fighting. I suggest the same approach for the information war. You lead and people like me will follow and provide supplemental support. If you’re open to revamping your communications strategy, my team and I are happy to assist.
3) You need something perhaps like an “Israel Truth Network” (ITN) which can include social media channels and a one-stop source of information website where, for example, all the negative Israel questions I get can be thoroughly debunked. I would love to refer students to such a website. This website could also be a conduit to groups like Hillel and Jewish educators like Dennis Prager. There can be links to books, podcasts, media personalities, and pro-Israel thought leaders. The website can be a place where Judeo-Christian leaders and groups can share information and form closer alliances in the fight against Islamic fundamentalism. ITN social media can post pro-Israel pro Judeo-Christian video clips, breaking news and articles. ITN could potentially be a news aggregation site for all news pertaining to Israel and Judeo-Christian efforts to preserve Western civilization.
4) Have you considered inviting some of the released hostages to go on a speaking tour in the U. S.? This could be very effective messaging. These hostages can talk about how Gazan civilians not once offered any empathy or compassion. President Trump referenced this lack of humanity when some released hostages visited the Oval Office. This was effective messaging. When impactful messaging clicks, keep it going. Also, these hostages and all your spokespersons should be arguing it’s Hamas that is committing genocide on their own people by using civilians as human shields and storing weapons in schools, hospitals, etc. That information drips out in the regular media but is almost nonexistent on social media.
5) Maybe interview regular Israelis on the streets asking them what they love about their country. Interview Jews, Israeli Arabs, Druze, orthodox, secular, etc. Ask Israelis what they wish the world knew about Israel. Ask them to respond to examples of misinformation on social media. This could be an entire social media PR campaign called, “Dude, you got us wrong!” Interview Israelis from all walks of life.
Let Israelis explain in their own words how Israel is a pluralistic society, a free country with elected leaders unlike the surrounding authoritarian Arab nations. Why not show how your hospitals take care of wounded terrorists? Why not show clips of Israel dropping flyers from airplanes warning Gazan civilians to get out of harm’s way? It would have been nice to see an Israeli plane with a Star of David arrive in the U.S. full of supplies after a hurricane. Has Israel offered any assistance to the U.S., insofar as technology to protect our border or with the missile defense shield President Trump has discussed? These are examples of effective messaging showing Israel as a close ally of America. Consumers of social media are aware of the billions in supplies we send to Israel, but they’re less aware of what America gets in return. You and your team need to make the argument on social media that Israel is a great friend of America and is vital to U.S. national security. Israel needs to better portray itself as a member of “Team Humanity.” Israel needs to establish a baseline of her identity. To run an effective messaging campaign, you need a clearly defined message. This message should be homegrown from Israel. In other words, create original content from Israel. Videos and visuals feed social media. Keep these edited clips short—under one minute—and post the best ones on the Israel Truth Network (ITN). Don’t rely on non-Israeli social media influencers to create all these clips. Create them yourselves and influencers (surrogates) like me can promote this ORIGINAL work and refer people to your social media and websites. Be proactive—take the lead. Bottom line is Israel needs to learn to fish (i.e., create your own content) and be more self-reliant when it comes to your communications strategy.
6) Iran: Israel could do a better job explaining the Iranian threat. Among the many conservatives who support Israel, there is a concern that America could become entangled in a quagmire in Iran. My generation grew up with disasters in Afghanistan and Iraq. We were promised there were WMDs in Iraq which proved to be a lie. Our generation was also lied to by the governments of Israel and the U.S. that COVID vaccines were safe and effective. Israeli intelligence missed the boat on October 7, but we’re asked to trust Israeli intelligence 100% that Iran is on the cusp of obtaining nuclear weapons. Young conservatives are very skeptical of government proclamations. We don’t fully trust intelligence assessments. Right now it seems like Israel is primarily relying on Americans to make the case for attacking Iranian nuclear sites. These arguments get a lot of blowback in MAGA circles. Other than you, Mr. Prime Minister, I see very few Israelis making their case in the media, social media or podcasts. Many agree with you (myself included) that Iran should not get nuclear weapons. At the same time, I share the concern that America will get sucked into another endless war costing thousands of American lives. Where are the Israelis who are arguing their case to win over public opinion? Israel should be making its case 24/7 on social media including long form (English-speaking) podcasts and social media channels and website(s) such as a Rapid Response Team and ITN.
7) A paradigm shift is needed in how Israel presents itself to the world, especially on social media. Perhaps the best way to convey my thoughts here is to think of Israel as a political candidate (in this case a younger woman who grew up on social media). Who is this candidate and what does she stand for? Right now there’s essentially a massive negative ad campaign spreading on social media. These negative ads are defining this candidate. Political campaigns face these challenges all the time. Many of the PR challenges Israel faces should be looked at through the prism of a political campaign. Like any campaign, the first task is to define the candidate.
Right now there is not a “one-stop shopping” resource where younger people can learn about this candidate. Every candidate has a website and social media. It would be political malpractice to omit these tools. Sorry for the brutal honesty, but Israel’s approach to social media is “PR malpractice.” Your “candidate” should list all the toughest questions she gets on the campaign trail with detailed expert responses (add footnotes) on her ITN website and use social media to explain her platform on a daily basis. These responses become part of Miss Israel’s “platform” where her positions and values are explained. Like any political campaign, you need surrogates who can articulately promote this candidate’s platform and identity. Right now Israel’s identity is being fabricated by those who hate her by a barrage of misinformation in the media—especially social media. Fake news becomes real news if there’s not effective pushback. When a candidate is hit with negative campaign ads, the effective response is for the candidate to PERSONALLY respond to these attack ads. A candidate doesn’t just rely on surrogates to get the truth out. One of Israel’s biggest most fundamental problems is typically your pushback is in a 3rd person voice. I do the “3rd person” voice all the time as I attempt to defend the candidate, Israel. But I don’t live in Israel so I’m more like an attorney defending a client. Israel, the client, also needs to defend itself. I wish I had a “1st person” source of information I could reference where students and Israel skeptics could learn more about this client called Israel. You need a one-stop shopping resource where Israel’s platform and beliefs can be spelled out. You need more Israeli surrogates speaking out on behalf of their candidate. At the moment, you have some wonderful non-Israeli surrogates speaking on behalf of a candidate that has not defined herself—especially when it comes to social media. I know it’s common to think that social media, especially TikTok, is a waste of time. I thought similar a year ago. But TikTok algorithms have changed. I have increased my followers on TikTok from approx. 1 million to 6.6 million in the last year. We get BILLIONS (with a “B”) views on TikTok. My campus tour last Fall and this Spring have received approx. 5 BILLION impressions. Elon Musk is a good friend to Israel so X offers a great opportunity to make inroads on social media. Israel should not sit back and allow its enemies to define her. A recent Pew Research poll showed 53% of Americans now have an unfavorable view of Israel, up from 42% three years ago. U.S. support for Israel is precarious right now. A new media strategy is urgently needed. I understand social media as well as anyone in the world. From my vantage point, Israel has retreated from social media without a fight. How are you going to win over younger generations if you’re starting out in retreat on social media? Younger generations use their TV’s for Netflix—not the evening news. Narratives for younger and even middle-aged people are fought now on social media. Mr. Prime Minister, stop this retreat—get in the information war fight! The front lines of this information war are on social media. Other than a few guerrilla warfare operations, there’s very little Israel created content. I saw that Israel has increased its Hasbara budget by 20x times which is great news. There’s also hundreds of millions of dollars raised by private pro-Israel groups. Some of this money should be directed into creating pro Israel ORIGINAL home grown content. Next, promote this content on Israel operated social media channels and websites. Use some of these funds to start the Israel Truth Network (ITN).
To sum up, you should perhaps consider reshaping your Hasbara Department into more of a political campaign headquarters with campaign narrative experts. Hasbara could be the mothership hosting ITN where the messaging campaign can be created and then distributed to all the pro-Israel groups and thought leaders.
Majority of staff in these efforts should be in their 20’s and 30’s. The older generation alone is not going to win the information war on social media. You need to fill the ranks with young people who grew up with cellphones and social media—not pay phones and TV news. Once the candidate is defined with a platform backfilled with extensive details, then allow the political operatives to take that platform out into social media with an out-of-the-box approach like some of the earlier suggestions. I’ve seen your IDF spokesman defend Israel standing at a dimly lit podium. This looks like a scene out of the 1970s—like some old Walter Cronkite clips of the TV news. You need to tear down your old ways of communicating and start over from scratch. Create a communications and social media platform that is wired to fight back with the same fierceness and determination as the IDF.
Israel has many Americans and some well-known foreigners who defend Israel which is great. But these are “3rd person” voices. Mr. Prime Minister, you are an eloquent defender of Israel but you don’t post very often on social media. Many of your clips are in Hebrew only. Why don’t you do more press conferences in Israel in English? Take on some of the tough questions I get bombarded with on college campuses. Where are all the Israeli surrogates? I can’t remember the last time I saw an Israeli spokesperson on one of the…
