Agriculture minister trolls Obama on Twitter

After president launches personal @POTUS handle, Israeli politician joins in ‘welcoming’ him

Soon after Barack Obama launched his personal Twitter account, which amassed over a million followers in a few hours, an Israeli politician, and possibly a politician’s wife, joined in trolling the president on social media.

Among the countless jokes, threats and racial slurs that greeted Obama on Twitter were some unusual tweets from Israel.

Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel, from the Orthodox-nationalist Jewish Home party, used the platform to wryly wish the US president a happy Jerusalem Day.

Ariel, who held the housing portfolio in the last government and who advocates annexing the West Bank, highlighted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pledge this week that Jerusalem would not again be divided.

@POTUS welcome! Happy Jerusalem Day! in case u didn׳t hear PM Netanyahu: "Jerusalem won't be divided again, we build all over the city"

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— אורי אריאל (@saruriariel) May 19, 2015

Obama received another tweet, error-strewn and apparently from Judy Mozes Shalom, the wife of Interior Minister Silvan Shalom. She ostensibly tweeted, “@POTUS well come, I hope u ‘ll write from The hurt of barack, and not from the head of Rrsedent Obama. Kisses from israel.”

Judy Mozes' tweet to US President Barack Obama on May 19, 2015. (Screenshot: Tal Schneider via Facebook).

Judy Mozes’s apparent tweet to US President Barack Obama on May 19, 2015. (Screenshot: Tal Schneider via Facebook).

The tweet was deleted shortly after, and Shalom denied writing the message in a later tweet. However, journalist Tal Schneider took a screenshot of the tweet and noted that it came from Shalom’s account.

Schneider also pointed out one of the typos — that Shalom likely meant to write heart and not hurt.

One thing Obama had yet to do at time of writing from his new @POTUS handle?

Retweet Secretary of State John Kerry.