The “Israeli” government is funding a Google ads campaign to further fuel its terrorism allegations against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
Picture of a Google search results showing anti-UNRWA rhetoric using Google ads.
In a report by the US monthly magazine WIRED, “Israel” paid for advertising for Google search terms such as “UNRWA” and “UNRWA USA” in an attempt to sway potential donors away and towards its propaganda campaign.
Mara Kronenfeld, manager of the UNRWA USA, which is a non-profit organization that provides support for the humanitarian work of UNRWA, told WIRED that she noticed the “Israeli”-funded campaign after searching the name of her organization and found an ad to the website detailing the terrorism allegations.
The “Israeli” consulate in New York acknowledged the report by WIRED but did not answer requests for comment.
The advertisements appeared 44 percent of the time that they and UNRWA USA ads were able to appear, citing UNRWA USA’s Google analytics. Additionally, the ads for UNRWA USA popped up in only 34 percent of the eligible searches.
“They should stop, and those responsible for this sabotage should be held accountable. There should be a lot of follow-up with companies like Google once the war is over. There’s a lot to answer to,” UNRWA spokesperson Juliette Touma told WIRED.