Netanyahu’s Knesset pick apologizes for vulgar anti-Trump post

Prime Minister Netanyahu taps Likud candidate who called Trump a “morally corrupt piece of sh*t” weeks earlier.

By World Israel News Staff

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has selected Israeli tech entrepreneur Oren Dobronsky for one of his personally reserved spots on Likud’s Knesset slate, only weeks after Dobronsky launched a public attack on President Donald Trump over his handling of negotiations with Iran.

Likud announced Monday that Dobronsky, an entrepreneur and investor familiar to Israeli television audiences from “The Sharks,” the local version of “Shark Tank,” would become the first candidate chosen by Netanyahu under newly expanded powers allowing the prime minister to personally fill eight positions on the party’s ticket ahead of the October 27 election.

The appointment immediately drew attention to comments Dobronsky posted on X on June 17, when he accused Trump of sidelining Israel as Washington finalized a memorandum of understanding with Iran aimed at ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

“Set aside for a moment whether the agreement with Iran is good or bad, in what world is it normal NOT TO INVITE YOUR SHOULDER-TO-SHOULDER WAR ALLY to the negotiating table?” Dobronsky wrote.

“Do you understand that not only did Trump not invite Israel to the negotiating table, but he DIDN’T SHARE THE ACTUAL AGREEMENT LANGUAGE WITH ISRAEL?”

“What kind of morally corrupt piece of sh*t treats an ally like that?”

Dobronsky continued by pointing to Israel’s role alongside the US in the war with Iran.

“Didn’t Israel fight bravely by our side in this war? Aren’t they entitled to at least have a seat at the negotiating table? Or at least see the drafts?”

The criticism came amid widespread anger in Israel over the June US-Iran memorandum, negotiations for which did not include Israel.

The 14-point agreement called for an extension of the ceasefire, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, while also providing for US sanctions relief and economic incentives.

Israel was not a party to the negotiations and Israeli officials publicly stressed at the time that the agreement did not bind Jerusalem.

There were also conflicting reports at the time over how much of the agreement Washington had shared with Jerusalem.

Channel 12 reported shortly before it was finalized that Israeli officials had sought access to the memorandum and had been denied, although a source familiar with the negotiations disputed that Israel had made such a request. An earlier draft proposal had been circulated to Israel and other regional governments in May.

Dobronsky’s criticism of Trump went well beyond the one profanity-laced post.

In a separate June 17 message, he reacted to reporting that Iran could retain the ability to close the Strait of Hormuz and accused the Trump administration of having made the regional situation worse.

“Great job Trump and your imbecile team,” Dobronsky wrote, accusing the administration of producing a “colossal failure” and comparing its handling of the Iran war unfavorably with the Biden administration’s chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Hours after his appointment to the Likud slate brought the posts back into public view Monday, Dobronsky moved quickly to apologize.

“President Trump is the greatest friend that Israel ever had in the White House,” he wrote on Facebook.

“I posted in his favor countless times. On one occasion, not knowing all the facts, I lost my temper and posted something I regret,” he added. “My apologies to President Trump whom I admire dearly.”

It also comes after Netanyahu abruptly reversed another high-profile appointment following the discovery of criticism of Trump.

In March, Netanyahu announced former Navy commander Vice Adm. Eli Sharvit as his choice to head the Shin Bet, only to withdraw the appointment the following day after attention focused on an article Sharvit had written criticizing Trump’s environmental policies.

Likud described Dobronsky as a successful businessman, a veteran of the Israeli technology sector and a right-wing figure, and said he would be tasked after the election with promoting the development and adoption of artificial intelligence in the economy, education, health care and other fields.

Dobronsky co-founded the internet software company Hotbar before spending years in Silicon Valley as an entrepreneur and investor. He also founded the Oren’s Hummus restaurant business in the San Francisco Bay Area and later became an investor on Israeli television.

The Likud Central Committee approved eight reserved positions for candidates chosen by Netanyahu: Nos. 3, 5, 9, 11, 15, 18, 26 and 29. Six of the eight are therefore within the top 20 — positions likely to send their occupants to the Knesset even if Likud performs relatively poorly in the election.

Netanyahu’s expanded power has reduced the influence of the party’s traditional primary process, through which more than 100,000 Likud members have historically played a major role in ranking candidates.

Likud’s primary is scheduled for August 17.