As Israel becomes a global pariah, leaked Meta data reveals soaring costs for its brands

Internal Meta data leaked by company whistleblowers reveals that Israeli firms are facing a staggering collapse in global consumer engagement, as the country’s growing isolation over its genocidal war on Gaza drives up advertising costs and erodes its international brand.

According to the data, obtained by investigative outlet Drop Site News, the cost-per-click (CPC)—a key metric indicating how much a company must pay to generate a single user engagement—has surged by over 155 per cent for Israeli firms between 2023 and 2025. This sharp rise is unmatched by global trends and reflects a massive rejection of Israeli branding across major markets.

While Israel poured nearly $1.9 billion into Meta advertising between 2023 and 2024, its CPC rose from $0.094 to $0.24. By contrast, the increase for non-Israeli firms was marginal across the same period. In the UK, Israeli CPC rose by 163.2 per cent, in Canada by 106.6 per cent, and in Germany by 144.4 per cent. Israeli advertisers are paying more than double what they did two years ago for significantly fewer clicks, down to just 39.2 per cent of their 2023 volume.

The leaked data comes as Israel drastically expands its public relations spending, committing an additional $150 million in 2025 alone to “public diplomacy”—or hasbara. Yet despite this investment and Meta’s well-documented suppression of pro-Palestinian voices, the data show a public turning decisively against Israeli companies and messaging.

The beginning of the end of unshakeable support: Why US public opinion is turning away from Israel

Amid the fallout from Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, including proceedings at the International Court of Justice and growing calls for sanctions, companies tied to the Israeli economy, whether directly or through affiliation, are reportedly concealing their origins. Several of Meta’s top Israeli advertisers were found to have erased brand identifiers, or obscured their links to Israel, in an apparent attempt to evade boycotts.

Efforts to shield these brands have not reversed the economic damage. The CPC for Israeli ads aimed at US audiences rose by 93.3 per cent, compared to just 2.8 per cent for non-Israeli companies. In Australia, Israeli CPC increased by 115.9 per cent, in France by 102.7 per cent, and in India by 40.3 per cent.

These figures coincide with steep declines in Israel’s international reputation. The 2025 Global Soft Power Index ranked Israel 121st, citing a 42-place drop in public perception. A recent Pew poll found that 53 per cent of Americans now hold an unfavourable view of Israel, up from 42 per cent in 2022—with young adults and even half of Republican respondents aged 18–49 registering negative opinions.

Public opinion is not the only headwind. The European Union and the UK recently froze trade discussions with Israel, signalling mounting frustration with its refusal to halt the onslaught in Gaza. International pressure is also building amid reports that Israel plans to annex Gaza and forcibly remove its population.

Read: Public support for Israel collapses across Western Europe and US, new YouGov survey finds