Joan Rivers got death threats over pro-Israel comments

Now-deceased comedian said to have hired bodyguard after rant during Gaza war; Netanyahu tried to arrange meeting with her

The comedian Joan Rivers, who died least week, hired a personal bodyguard following controversial comments she made about Israel’s conflict with Gaza in a rant with a paparazzi photographer.

Blaire Trump, the vice chair of God’s Love We Trust, a charity where Rivers served as a board member, told the Hollywood Reporter that Rivers felt that her personal safety was jeopardized after the infamous video was released. “When she came out and said Israel had every right to bomb Hamas, the death threats started rolling in,” said Trump.

Rivers, famous for her caustic wit and brutal candor, received a great deal of scorn over her response to a question about dead Palestinian civilians.

“When you declare war, you declare war,” she said. “They started it. We don’t count who’s dead. You’re dead. You deserve to be dead. You started it. Don’t you dare make me feel sad about that.”

Rivers, a noted Zionist, had also defended Israel’s response to Hamas rocket attacks during Operation Protective Edge, alluding to the criticism leveled at the Jewish state during the 50-day conflict.

“Let me tell you, if New Jersey were firing rockets into New York, we would wipe them out,” she told the photographer. “You cannot throw rockets and expect people not to defend themselves.”

The video, which was heavily lauded by many in the pro-Israel camp, reportedly attracted the attention of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who requested to speak to Rivers.

“Following her pro-Israel comments during operation Protective Edge, the Prime Minister reached out to Joan Rivers and wanted to arrange a meeting,” a spokesperson at “Israel’s US Consulate” was quoted by the Hollywood Reporter as saying.

The meeting, however, never occurred. The 81-year-old died on September 4 after suffering complications from surgery on her vocal cords.