Charlie Kirk’s murder, the Sudan massacre – what else didn’t Israel do?

A day after the murder of conservative, pro-Israel activist Charlie Kirk, conspiracy theories began flooding social media, claiming that Israel was behind the killing. Now, we can already identify early signs of a similar campaign gaining traction online — this time attempting to link Israel to the massacre carried out by the RSF militia in the city of al-Fashir, where around 2,000 civilians were reportedly slaughtered in cold blood. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a video denying the false claims surrounding Kirk’s murder. It was a logical response, but in the twisted logic of the hate swamp that is X and TikTok, it only poured more fuel on the fire and achieved the exact opposite of the desired effect. Israel would be wise to learn from that mistake and adopt a different approach this time.

Charlie Kirk was a great man. He deserves honor – not lies. pic.twitter.com/NwEN4B2q7w

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) September 18, 2025

The good news is that more than two years after October 7, pro-Palestinian activists have concluded that terrorists who go door-to-door to murder, burn, and rape innocent civilians are committing vile and despicable acts that deserve universal condemnation. Of course, the bad news is that they do not apply this understanding to Hamas’s terrorist attack on Israelis living near the Gaza border, which many of them continue to support unconditionally.

It is therefore no surprise that much of the pro-Palestinian propaganda apparatus on social media is now devoting significant time and energy to try and link Israel to the horrors in Sudan. Their far-fetched claims of Israeli backing for the RSF are not made out of genuine concern for human rights or international law. They are devised to feed the narrative of demonization and hatred toward the Jewish state. And as we already saw in the case of Charlie Kirk, the road from conspiracy theories to a full-blown campaign is a very short one.

Just 24 hours after Kirk’s murder, X exploded with three main conspiracy theories: 1. The campus plaza where Kirk was killed was shaped like a Hanukkah menorah. 2. Israel had intelligence that Kirk was shifting his views on Israel from positive to negative, and therefore decided to eliminate him. 3. A security guard seen adjusting his hat on video was “proof” that he was signaling the shooter to fire.

The situation on social media was severe enough to prompt Prime Minister Netanyahu to record his video of condemnation for these accusations. In practice, however, the video only fueled the false campaign even further. Leading figures behind it, such as Candace Owens, seized Netanyahu’s video as a golden opportunity, portraying it as direct evidence of Israel’s guilt and involvement, along the lines  of “the guilty dog barks the loudest.” After all, if Israel had nothing to do with the murder, why was Netanyahu so quick to come forward and deny it?

Today, as we approach 2026, the media landscape is more decentralized than ever. Prominent journalists who once earned millions of dollars from traditional networks are leaving them to broadcast directly to their audiences on YouTube and social media. Tucker Carlson and Piers Morgan are just prominent examples of this trend. Accordingly, opinions that were once considered extreme or fringe, such as those of white supremacist right-winger Nick Fuentes, now enjoy unprecedented exposure. Thanks to social media, such voices are more mainstream than ever. This is a new kind of media — one without journalistic ethics, unfiltered and unrestrained. The only compass is views and engagement: Likes, Comments, and Shares.

Israel would do well to understand that an effective response in today’s media environment is no longer measured by the rules of traditional broadcasting. A response crafted in the spirit of the old media — like in the Kirk case — proved at best ineffective, and at worst, damaging.

Israel’s prime minister should not respond to every absurd conspiracy theory. Just as no official body ever bothered to deny the delusional claims that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was a Mossad agent, there is no reason for Israel’s leaders to address every baseless online accusation. Strategically, Israel’s first step should be to appoint a permanent head of the National Public Diplomacy Directorate as the professional figure responsible for tackling and responding to such falsehoods.

Tactically, Israel could potentially benefit more from using memes and humor to ridicule these situations. In the social media universe, exaggerating a situation rather than denying it often helps reveal how ridiculous it is and neutralizes its bite. Much like the short, mocking videos that President Donald Trump often posts on his digital platforms — for example, the “Trump Rivier in Gaza,” or protesters being doused with excrement. In today’s digital reality, satire often defeats denial.

In an era when most young people consume their information primarily through social media, Israel must speak in a language this audience understands, emotional, punchy, and not always rational.