TV ads for Israel are airing during NFL games in Iowa. Why?

As U.S. public support for Israel reaches historic lows, the Israeli government is courting a new audience: football fans in Iowa.

The state of Israel purchased more than $50,000 worth of TV ads across three Iowa television stations, airing this week during NFL football games and news broadcasts, according to records filed with the Federal Communications Commission.

The ads — which started airing on Saturday and will continue through Halloween — argue that a strong U.S.-Israel relationship benefits Americans, framing Iran as a shared adversary.

“Why does Israel matter to America?” one 30-second ad begins, followed by video of Iranians burning an American flag. “Start with Iran. Its regime seeks nuclear weapons and missiles that could one day reach the United States.”

The narrator says that Iran is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American service members. Israel, it says, helps to combat the Iranian threat, preventing “distant threats from reaching American soil.”

A second ad highlights U.S.-Israel collaboration on cybersecurity, medicine and agriculture, and touts billions of dollars in trade between the two countries.

Both conclude with a disclaimer that the ads are “distributed by Clock Tower X LLC on behalf of the state of Israel.” Clock Tower X is a PR firm started by Brad Parscale, Trump’s campaign manager during his 2020 presidential run. The Israeli government has paid Clock Tower X $28.5 million since 2025, according to a July report from the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.

The ads also contain a QR code that brings viewers to Iowa4Israel.com. The website touts research partnerships between Israel and Iowa State University and claims that “81% of Des Moines voters believe the United States should maintain close ties with Israel,” without citing a source. A YouGov poll released this week found that 46% of likely Iowa voters believe the U.S. should reduce its support for Israel.

Why Iowa?

Foreign governments are legally prohibited from purchasing political campaign ads in connection with any federal, state or local election. The Israeli ads, however, make the general case for why a strong U.S.-Israel relationship benefits Americans, rather than endorsing a specific candidate or bill.

But they do come ahead of a contentious midterm election in Iowa, where Israel has emerged as an issue in the neck-and-neck Senate race between Democrat Josh Turek and Republican Ashley Hinson. Turek has supported conditioning aid to Israel, while Hinson has described the U.S.-Israel relationship as an “unbreakable bond.”

Iowa has also been among the states hit hardest by the Iran war, with rising diesel costs squeezing Iowa farmers and two service members from Iowa killed during an Iranian drone strike in March.

Hinson, who is endorsed by President Trump, recently broke with the president by calling for an end to the Iran war.

Israel’s influence campaign

The TV ads are just one part of a broader campaign by the Israeli government to influence U.S. public opinion.

Earlier this month, the Des Moines Register reported that Iowans received mailers sponsored by the Israeli government promoting the importance of a strong U.S.-Israel relationship.

Beyond Iowa, Israel has also paid Parscale and his companies to attempt to influence AI chatbots to generate more favorable responses about Israel and to carry out a mass texting campaign aimed at swaying public opinion.

But efforts to shape public opinion can also backfire. AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobbying group, has faced mounting backlash over its political spending in Democratic primaries and last week announced it would stop endorsing candidates altogether.

AIPAC has often been accused by its critics of acting as a foreign influence in U.S. elections, despite being funded by Americans.

The Israeli government, an actual foreign power, will likely face an even more skeptical public. A recent Marquette poll shows just 29% of Americans have a favorable view of Israel, down 14 percentage points from March 2025.

Hannah Feuer joined the Forward as a general assignment reporter in May 2025 after two years as a culture reporter at Seven Days, an independent weekly in Burlington, Vermont. Read full bio →

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