Yair Netanyahu v. Communists: PM’s son battles kibbutz members on social media

After the Kibbutz Movement released an image promoting protests against Netanyahu, the PM’s son went on the offensive on social media.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

Yair Netanyahu confronted left-wing Kibbutzniks (Kibbutz residents) on Monday via Twitter, calling them “communists who stole half the country’s land.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s son, who is no stranger to high-profile social media spats, went on the offensive after the Kibbutz Movement posted a photo promoting protests against the PM.

The image depicts anti-Netanyahu protests which have taken place on freeway overpasses across Israel in the last few weeks. “The Kibbutzim are fighting for democracy!” reads the image’s text, and includes dates and times for upcoming protests and the official seal of the Kibbutz Movement in the bottom left corner.

Kibbutzim have a reputation in Israel as bastions of liberal and left-wing politics, and kibbutz voters are widely considered the natural base of the Labor and Meretz parties.

“Damn communists who stole half the country’s land at the expense of the development towns,” wrote Yair Netanyahu on Twitter. “Release Hasi [River] to the residents of Beit She’an before you preach!”

Netanyahu’s tweet referenced the ongoing dispute over access to the Hasi River in northern Israel, which passes through Kibbutz Nir David. The kibbutz does not allow locals from neighboring communities to visit the river.

The Kibbutz Movement replied to Netanyahu, saying, “While children from the kibbutzim in the Galilee sit in shelters, the bum from Balfour thinks it’s appropriate to slander us. What else can we say? Lazy, detached, and spoiled.”

“We are not going anywhere,” the Kibbutz Movement added. “If anyone needs to vacate, it’s you from Balfour. And the sooner the better.”

Netanyahu’s exchange with the Kibbutz Movement marked the second time this week he’s been in hot water for his social media posts.

On Sunday, he posted a tweet containing an image of Liat Ben Ari, the prosecutor in his father’s pending criminal case, as a multiple-armed Hindu goddess.

The next day, he posted an apology for the tweet after outcry from Hindus who were offended by the image.

“I’ve tweeted a meme from a satirical page, criticizing political figures in Israel,” wrote Netanyahu.

“I didn’t realize the meme also portrayed an image connected to the majestic Hindu faith. As soon as I realized it from comments of our Indian friends, I have removed the tweet. I apologize.”

Earlier in July, Netanyahu apologized to prominent journalist Dana Weiss after insinuating she’d gotten her job due to her sex appeal.

“There is no basis for the posts that I published on May 23, 24, and 25, 2020, towards Ms. Dana Weiss. I apologize to her for them, and urge all the web-surfers to shake [the incident] off, and to remove all publications on the matter,” Netanyahu wrote.

The apology came on the heels of Weiss threatening a libel suit.

Benjamin Netanyahu shared his son’s apology on his official social media platforms.

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