American pastors who visited Israel targeted by online hate

(JNS) — Members of a delegation of more than 1,000 American pastors and religious leaders who visited Israel last week were targeted by a coordinated wave of online harassment on their return to the United States.

The development underscored both the hostility that exists on social media against Israel and the usage of bots to amplify hate on such networks.

The weeklong visit, which was organized by American evangelical leader Mike Evans with the Israeli Foreign Ministry, was the single largest gathering of pastors in Israel since the establishment of the state in 1948. It included a tour of t...