Israeli Politics · 19 August, 2026 · 2 min read
Avi Gross Behind Likud Propaganda Initiatives During Election Campaigns, Haaretz Reports
Avi Gross financed at least two propaganda initiatives to spread Likud messages. He was invited as guest of honor to Netanyahu's 2024 U.S. Congress speech.
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Propaganda network details
Haaretz reported that Avi Gross, a businessman linked to Benjamin Netanyahu's supporters, is behind at least two propaganda initiatives that disseminate Likud messages during election campaigns.
“Gross, who had been invited as a guest of honor to a Netanyahu speech before the U.S. Congress in 2024”
The paper said Gross is the man behind the content production company New Vision Production (NVP), located in Petah Tikva, central Israel, and that establishing the studios with advanced equipment had cost millions of shekels, according to sources confirmed to Haaretz.
Haaretz added that NVP operates along two separate but tangential tracks, including paid content services for the Likud campaign, which the party confirmed was done legally.
Haaretz also described a second track involving the distribution of viral videos taken from podcasts produced for Netanyahu-supporting media personalities, while the Likud stated it has no connection to these podcasts.
The investigation further said NVP’s premises can function as a production house for ostensibly private videos aligned with campaign messages, with the party denying any connection.
Names, denials, and legal framing
Haaretz said an analysis of the videos identified at least seven "content creators" who filmed independent videos that promoted the Likud campaign’s messages and attacked Netanyahu’s rivals and the media.
Among the creators listed by Haaretz were Channel 14 reporter Tamir Schneid, panelist Noam Fathi, Likud spokesman Guy Levy, and Adi Shamai Hacohen, who Haaretz said was behind the "coming out" video "Mom, Dad, I'm a Bibist."
Haaretz reported that a legal source involved in election law told the outlet that because these are ostensibly private creators, "they are not subject to legal restrictions."
The investigation also said the Likud stated it has no connection to the podcasts, leaving the question of who actually funds them, while the party denies any connection to the semi-official private-video track.
Haaretz added that Gross himself declined to respond to the outlet’s inquiries.
Scale, funding questions, and reach
Haaretz said that in just five weeks, the company published dozens of short videos with pro-Netanyahu content, with some garnering thousands of likes and tens of thousands of views.
“In just five weeks, the company published dozens of short videos”
The outlet reported that the sources of the videos are four new podcasts with at least 15 episodes, and that the hosts include Netanyahu's brother Ido Netanyahu as well as personalities associated with media outlets such as Channel 14 and Galey Israel Radio.
Haaretz further stated that NVP began providing services to Gadi Taub and his podcast group "Gatekeeper," featuring among others Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz.
The investigation said a new podcast called "The Nationalists," hosted by Alon Malik and Bat-El Benyamin, was recently added to the gallery of locally produced podcasts.
Haaretz concluded that the studio recordings also include less regulated initiatives, where the only thing that seems orderly is the messages, describing a "suspicious resemblance to the Likud."