Washington, United States — Billionaires from Wall Street and Hollywood are discussing a plan to launch a $50 million media campaign, reported the news website Semafor.
The campaign’s objective is to portray Hamas as a “terrorist organization” to the American public, added the news website co-founded by former BuzzFeed News editor-in-chief Ben Smith and former Bloomberg Media Group CEO Justin B. Smith.
Real-estate tycoon Barry Sternlicht, according to the report, initiated this campaign following the attacks in Israel on October 7.
Sternlicht, in an email reportedly obtained by Semafor, sought $1 million donations from various affluent business figures. The email list reportedly included prominent names like media mogul David Geffen, investors Michael Milken and Nelson Peltz, and tech leaders Eric Schmidt and Michael Dell, collectively worth nearly $500 billion.
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The campaign, as Sternlicht reportedly described, aims to differentiate between anti-Semitism and the Palestinian situation, especially as media coverage increasingly focuses on the situation in Gaza.
Sternlicht expressed concern about the potential shift in public opinion against Israel due to the portrayal of Palestinian civilian suffering.
Josh Vlasto, a former aide to Senator Chuck Schumer and Governor Andrew Cuomo, has been hired to advise the campaign, which has already raised several million dollars and launched a website, according to sources familiar with the matter, reported Semafor.
Notably, some recipients of Sternlicht’s email have already been vocal on related issues. Investor Bill Ackman and Apollo CEO Marc Rowan have criticized universities for their handling of pro-Palestinian student demonstrations, the report added.
Semafor reported that Michael Bloomberg, in contrast, donated $44 million to Israel’s nonprofit emergency medical service. Ari Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor, initially agreed to coordinate the campaign but, along with CNN owner David Zaslav, is reportedly not involved now.
Sternlicht’s goal is to raise $50 million from this group and seek an equal matching donation from a large Jewish charity. The funds will be used for a media blitz to define Hamas as an enemy not only of Israel but also of the United States, the report said.
This initiative comes at a time when recent polls from the University of Maryland and Ipsos indicate a shift in American public opinion, particularly among younger, liberal demographics, regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Semafor report pointed out.
Sternlicht, through a spokesperson, declined to comment, wrote Semafor.
The campaign highlights one of several behind-the-scenes efforts by business leaders to support Israel following the Hamas attack, marking a change from the typically vocal stance of CEOs on geopolitical or social issues.