Charlie Kirk, the pro-Israel conservative activist who was killed in a campus shooting in Utah earlier this month, laid out his vision for countering what he called “anti-Israel sentiment” among Generation Z and winning the “information war” against Israel’s detractors. “My team and I have spent months analyzing trends and counter-narratives that could help you and your country push back against these troubling developments,” he wrote. “Anti-Israel sentiment has the potential to undermine America’s support for Israel.”
Trump talks about the death of Charlie Kirk
(Video: Reuters)
Tuesday morning, alongside the publication of Kirk’s letter, The New York Times released a new poll showing a troubling trend in the U.S.: 35% of Americans now side with the Palestinians, compared to 34% with Israel. Right after October 7, 47% backed Israel and only 20% the Palestinians. Another 31% said they were unsure or supported both sides equally.
At the same time, according to the Times and Siena College poll, most Americans oppose providing further economic and military aid to Israel—a sharp reversal from sentiment in the days following the October 7 attack. Six in 10 respondents said Israel should end the war even if the hostages are not freed and Hamas is not destroyed. Around 40% believe Israel is deliberately killing civilians in Gaza—almost double the figure reported after October 7.
'Israel is losing support—this is a level 5 alarm'
“All of this comes from a place of deep love for Israel and the Jewish people,” Kirk emphasized. “It’s important to be honest with those you love. In my view, Israel is losing the information war. It needs what I’d call a ‘media intervention.’”
He criticized Netanyahu’s office for outsourcing advocacy to Americans, saying he often felt he defended Israel more passionately than the prime minister’s own staff. Among the unchallenged claims he cited: that Israel is an apartheid state, that it carries out ethnic cleansing, that America subsidizes “Israeli genocide” against Palestinians, that U.S. taxpayers underwrite Israel’s healthcare system, that Jews and Israel control U.S. foreign policy, that Israel and Jews were behind 9/11, and that defending Israel is not in America’s national interest.
“I’m accused of being a paid shill for Israel and when I don’t defend it strongly enough, I’m accused of antisemitism,” Kirk wrote. “I know you’re fighting on seven fronts, but I need you to understand that Israel is losing support even among conservatives. This should be a level 5 alarm.”
A call for a new 'truth network'
Kirk proposed several steps to turn the tide: creating a rapid-response team modeled on the White House, establishing a dedicated unit to track misinformation about the Gaza war, and building a “truth network about Israel” as a reliable information hub. “When you don’t hit back, antisemitism and anti-Israel propaganda fill the void,” he warned.
He urged Netanyahu to send released hostages on speaking tours across the U.S., calling them “highly effective messengers.” He suggested that Israel’s representatives highlight Hamas’ use of civilians as human shields and its storing of weapons in schools and hospitals, points he said barely reach social media audiences. He also encouraged content showing everyday life in Israel, with Jews, Arabs, Druze, and secular citizens sharing what they love about the country.
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Kirk waving the crowd at the event where he was murdered
(Photo: Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via Reuters)
“Your team needs to be people in their 20s and 30s,” Kirk argued. “Older generations won’t win the war on social media. You need to fill the ranks with young people who grew up with phones and platforms. I watched your military spokesman stand at a dimly lit podium defending Israel. It looked like a scene from the 1970s—old Walter Cronkite footage. You need a communications and social media platform that fights back with the same strength and determination as the IDF.”
The Kirk murder case
Two weeks ago, Tyler Robinson, 22, appeared in a Utah court accused of murdering Kirk. He joined the hearing virtually from jail, where he is being held without bail. Prosecutors announced they would seek the death penalty if Robinson is convicted, a punishment in Utah that may still be carried out by firing squad.
Prosecutor Jeffrey Gray said Robinson faces seven charges, including aggravated murder and obstruction of justice. Before his arrest, Robinson allegedly asked his roommate, a transgender woman named Lance Twiggs with whom he was reportedly in a relationship, to delete incriminating text messages and dispose of evidence. Prosecutors added aggravated circumstances to the indictment, which under Utah law are required to pursue capital punishment.