(José Niño, Headline USA) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu isn’t just fighting a war in Gaza or battling scandals in court — he’s now waging a quieter war for hearts and minds in the right-wing podcasting space.
In an apparent effort to counter growing anti-Israel sentiment within right-wing podcast circles, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a private briefing on Tuesday at the Blair House with a select group of podcasters and media personalities.
According to the Jewish Insider, notable attendees included prominent figures such as podcasters Dave Rubin and Tim Pool, former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, writers Bethany Mandel and David J. Harris Jr., influencer Jessica Kraus, Commentary senior editor Seth Mandel, and Federalist Editor-in-Chief Mollie Hemingway.
Joining Netanyahu on the Israeli side were his diplomatic advisor, Ophir Falk, and Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter.
During the meeting, Pool reportedly voiced concern about the rise of antisemitism and anti-Zionist sentiment in the right-wing podcasting sphere. He referenced his own experience interviewing rapper Kanye West, who infamously stormed out of the interview after Pool challenged his antisemitic remarks.
Since Israel’s military campaign against Hamas after the October 7, 2023 attacks, conservative personalties such as Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson and even social media influencers such as former MMA fighter Jake Shields and Dan Bilzerian have been vocal in their criticism of Israel.
Pool claimed that Qatar is running an “operation” to manipulate social media algorithms, artificially boosting the visibility of antisemitic and anti-Israel content over more benign topics, such as dating advice.
He suggested this tactic aims to incentivize podcasters and YouTubers to create more antisemitic material. Netanyahu, however, offered a reserved response, stating “it’s possible.”
The prime minister did, however, emphasize that Israel and the United States share common adversaries, particularly highlighting the security challenges Iran and Qatar pose to American-Israeli interests.
Domestically, the Israeli Prime Minister is mired in legal troubles. Netanyahu is currently on trial for bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in three separate corruption cases.
When news of this meeting between Netanyahu and prominent podcasters like Pool first broke, Pool initially dismissed reports of the meeting as “fake and gay” on X/Twitter. He accused Jewish Insider of disseminating “fake news” while conceding the report was “close to reality.”
Curiously, Pool later admitted to participating in this meeting under Chatham House Rules during a Timcast IRL episode. The Chatham House Rule, established in 1927 by the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London, allows participants to share sensitive information freely while ensuring that the identities and affiliations of speakers or others involved remain confidential.
Despite what Tim Pool says, Chatham House Rules are not part of ‘journalistic culture.’
Named after Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs in the UK, these rules are used by roundtable groups that promote dialogue and cooperation among business and… https://t.co/qC2TRVSk7s
— Lee Stranahan (@stranahan) April 9, 2025
Independent journalist Chris Menahan claims Pool’s meeting was part of a broader Israeli effort to silence criticism of military operations in Gaza.
Menahan believes that Pool’s promotion of the Qatari influence operation theory is actually an “Israeli op” that was carried out by Israel’s Diaspora Ministry in 2024 with the aim to discredit prominent critics of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza such as Dan Bilzerian, Candace Owens, and Tucker Carlson.
As Headline USA has previously covered, Tim Pool has faced his own set of controversies related to foreign influence. Under the previous Biden administration, the Justice Department (DOJ) alleged that Russian state media had funneled $10 million to Tenet Media, Pool’s employer, to produce propaganda aligned with Russian government interests.
Pool has claimed that if these allegations are true, he was “deceived” and went out of his way to call Russian President Vladimir Putin a “scumbag.”
Netanyahu himself is also facing scandals related to domestic corruption and foreign influence.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
