Leaked files published by The Grayzone on 6 October show that Israeli officials enlisted US billionaires to bankroll covert “digital militias” run by former intelligence operatives, tasked with undermining and monitoring pro-Palestinian activism across the US.
The Grayzone reported that the plan, code-named “12 Tribes,” was spearheaded by former Israeli army chief and defense minister Benny Gantz.
He was tasked with recruiting western financiers, among them technology magnate Larry Ellison and his son David, now owner of Paramount and CBS News.
The documents reveal a campaign designed to recruit “an exclusive group of the 12 most influential Jewish philanthropists, symbolizing the 12 Jewish tribes; Israel’s government shall act as a 13th, facilitating ‘tribe.’”
Internal planning papers from Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies described the 12 Tribes as “a non-hierarchical mothership, working for the people and the state” of Israel.
Organizers stressed the need to conceal official involvement.
“Government money is also a political constraint,” one planner wrote, while another added, “In the jungle, we need more guerrillas and less IDF.”
The files also identify other billionaires solicited to fund the operation, including Oracle founder Larry Ellison, media mogul Haim Saban, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, and Westfield Group co-founder Frank Lowy.
Contributors were expected to donate $1 million each to a fund directed by the Israeli government to underwrite surveillance firms such as Black Cube, which planned to use “state-of-the-art cyber technology” against the BDS movement.
After his reported involvement with Israeli officials, David Ellison acquired Paramount Global and installed self-described “Zionist fanatic” Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News.
Larry Ellison’s Oracle, alongside Silver Lake and Andreessen Horowitz, is set to hold a controlling stake in TikTok’s new US entity under a deal backed by Donald Trump.
Oracle will manage user data from Texas, giving Ellison – already named in the 12 Tribes Israeli influence scheme – a powerful position over one of the most influential social platforms, further tightening the overlap between pro-Israel corporate power and US social media infrastructure.
Israel has also contracted US firms to shape online narratives in its favor, including a $6-million deal with Brad Parscale’s Clock Tower X LLC to “train ChatGPT” toward pro-Israel messaging and flood Gen Z social media feeds with state propaganda.
The plan integrates content across TikTok, YouTube, and conservative Christian outlets while Google runs a separate $45-million campaign for Netanyahu’s office to deny famine in Gaza.
Despite these efforts, new US polls show record declines in public support for Israel, especially among young adults.
Hellbound and Down 