PM strikes playful, conciliatory tone in #AskNetanyahu Q&A

Amid a busy Independence Day schedule of presenting prizes and attending ceremonies, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made time Thursday for a Twitter Q&A session that saw him answer questions on a range of topics from whether he was human or not to Palestinian statehood.

As well as poking fun at some of the mocking responses the initiative has received since it was announced, Netanyahu struck a conciliatory tone in answers to a number of questions about the Palestinians, saying that Israel must “never give up on the quest for peace” and stressing his own personal commitment to the peace process.

However Netanyahu, who has been criticized for giving few press conferences and interviews to the local press, also avoided several pointed questions about Israel’s policies toward Palestinians.

The online Q&A was announced via Netanyahu’s Twitter account Tuesday, inviting people to take part in a “Special Independence Day live chat” to be held on the day Israel celebrates 68 years since its founding in 1948. The invitation asked people to “tweet your questions now at: #AskNetanyahu,” and attached a photo saying, “Ever wanted to ask me a question? Now’s your chance!”

Within hours of the announcement the #AskNetanyahu hashtag made it onto Twitter’s “trending topics” list in Israel, but mainly due to a barrage of negative reactions, with thousands of people posting indignant and mocking responses.

Undeterred and even “looking forward to engaging the public and spreading the truth in new mediums,” according to Netanyahu spokesman David Keyes before the event, the prime minister took to the social media platform from his official residence in Jerusalem to answer some of the 41,218 questions tweeted under the #AskNetanyahu hashtag.

Netanyahu opened the online event with a short video, filmed in front of Independence Day balloons hanging in the courtyard of the prime minister’s residence, introducing the project and inviting questions.

“Hey Twitter, I’m happy to be with you today. This is our independence day. Fire away,” he said.

#asknetanyahu pic.twitter.com/5h1dcKX40Z

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) May 12, 2016

Kicking off the Q&A session on a light note by responding to a query asking if he will personally be answering the questions as opposed to an automated computer program, he wrote in binary code, “01111001 01100101 01110011,” which translates to “yes.”

01111001 01100101 01110011 https://t.co/FTauuE3eWA

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) May 12, 2016

After a number of playful responses, Netanyahu turned to questions on government policy and his world view, giving specific focus to the peace process with the Palestinians and repeatedly reiterating the need for peace.

“There is nothing I want more or do more for, in many ways that you don’t know, and may find out about in the future,” he said in a Hebrew video response to a questions asking what he is doing to achieve peace. “Nobody wants peace more than me or Israel. I’ve lost a brother, I’ve been wounded in battle, I’ve lost many dear friends. We must never give up on the quest for peace,” he added in English.

.@zohar9002 #asknetanyahu pic.twitter.com/1RG1Wp59Vr

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) May 12, 2016

Outlining his “vision of peace” in another video response, Netanyahu repeated his call for a demilitarized Palestinian state, ending by stating: “Its about time.”

.@IRBroadshow #asknetanyahu pic.twitter.com/6QYA1d9akw

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) May 12, 2016

Netanyahu also repeated his past statements that he is willing to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas immediately, at the home of either leader.

“I’m willing to met President Abbas today, right now,” he said in answer to the question: “What steps are you taking to protect Israel as both Jewish and Democratic?”

“He can come to my home here in Jerusalem or I can go to his home in Ramallah,” Netanyahu said.

.@Sam_Rubinstein #asknetanyahu pic.twitter.com/i3TRJrh4mj

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) May 12, 2016

Of the 37 questions Netanyahu responded to, nine dealt directly with the Palestinian issue. The questions he chose to answer were posed by a range of people including foreign ambassadors, journalists, Israelis and Twitter users from around the world. He responded to tweets in English, Hebrew and Arabic.

Thousands of questions were received from across the Arab world with a majority coming from Egypt, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.

Netanyahu is the first Middle Eastern leader to invite this sort of public discourse using the Twitter social media platform and among Western premiers follows only US, Canada, Italy and Columbia who have also launched similar initiatives.

A spokesman for the prime minister told The Times of Israel that Netanyahu relished the opportunity to respond directly to questions posed to him.

“Today’s Twitter chat was great. The Prime Minister enjoyed reading and responding to questions from around the world. It’s important to use every medium to spread the truth about Israel and combat lies,” David Keyes said.

The Q&A took place as part of a week long visit to Israel by Twitter’s Director of Media Rowan Barnett, who announced a number of collaborative projects with Israel and Israeli businesses during the trip. He was on hand Thursday at the Prime Minister’s Residence.

Great Twitter Q&A and talk with @IsraeliPM Netanyahu on #IndependenceDay at his residence in Jerusalem. pic.twitter.com/8MqhPdjy04

— Rowan Barnett (@rowbar) May 12, 2016