WASHINGTON — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not seen the Likud campaign AI video that critics say cruelly depicts Yashar chief Gadi Eisenkot choosing to embrace Ra’am chairman Mansour Abbas instead of his late son Gal, a senior Israeli official claims.
The video was posted on Netanyahu’s own X account, sparking immediate uproar and a denial from the Likud Party that the young man in the clip was meant to depict Eisenkot’s son, an IDF soldier who was killed in the Gaza war.
Nonetheless, an Israeli official briefing reporters covering Netanyahu’s visit in Washington claims that the premier has yet to watch the video, even if he was made aware of the reactions to it.
The official says it would be best if all campaigns avoided weighing in on candidates who have lost family members, claiming Netanyahu’s rivals have also made light of him being the brother of a fallen soldier — Entebbe hero Yoni Netanyahu, who was killed in the famed 1976 raid.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this