A social media rumor claiming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has endorsed Michigan Democratic candidate Haley Stevens for the Senate has been circulating online. This claim emerged during Netanyahu’s recent visit to the United States.
The rumor gained traction through a campaign-style poster featuring Stevens and Netanyahu, along with a purported quote from the Israeli leader praising Stevens. This has led to speculation and scrutiny, prompting an examination of the endorsement’s validity.
Stevens has recently been in the spotlight for her stance on US support for Israel, particularly in her debate with an opponent. Notably, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and its affiliated groups have invested a significant amount, nearly $30 million, to support Stevens in her electoral efforts, marking the largest such investment by AIPAC in a single election.
Fact Check: No endorsement from Benjamin Netanyahu.
Investigations have revealed no credible evidence to support the claim that Benjamin Netanyahu has endorsed Haley Stevens. There are no official statements or announcements from Netanyahu or his office confirming such an endorsement. Searches for the alleged quote attributed to Netanyahu regarding Stevens have not yielded any relevant results from reputable news organizations.
Furthermore, an analysis of the image used in the promotional poster, employing OpenAI’s verification tool, indicated that the image was likely generated or altered using AI models. A representative for the candidate has confirmed that the image depicting a promotional poster with a Netanyahu endorsement is indeed fake and an AI-generated creation.
The emergence of this false endorsement claim coincided with Benjamin Netanyahu’s trip to the US, which included his seventh meeting with President Donald Trump. This visit also took place amidst heightened concerns regarding Iran, following recent military engagements in the region. Additionally, Netanyahu attended the funeral of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, whom he had previously lauded as a significant friend of Israel. Graham was widely recognized as a staunch ally of Israel in the US Senate, and Netanyahu’s presence at the funeral highlighted their long-standing relationship.