The grandson of late prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, Yonatan Ben Artzi, has apologized after tweeting that he wishes for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to catch coronavirus.
In a now deleted tweet, Ben Artzi claimed Netanyahu had used the pandemic as a trick to lure Blue and White’s Benny Gantz into unity talks while actually seeking a new election.
Yonatan Ben Artzi, grandson of Yitzhak Rabin, speaks at a memorial ceremony at Mt. Herzl marking 24 years since Rabin was assassinated (Ynet screenshot)
“If Netanyahu lied to the people of Israel… then he deserves to get coronavirus and end his life in prison sick. Karma,” he tweeted.
The tweet elicited outrage, including by the Likud party, which said Ben Artzi was “inciting the death of the prime minister.”
Ben Artzi later apologized: “I don’t wish for anyone to catch coronavirus, including Netanyahu. Sorry about the matter.”
In November Ben Artzi clashed with Netanyahu after calling on him to resign in a speech during an annual memorial ceremony for his grandfather. The premier accused him of politicizing the event.
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