Israel PM Targets Facebook & Twitter, Says They Are Trying To Silence The Right-wing

Israel PM, who is facing a real threat of losing his long hold on power, said that Facebook and Twitter had been blocking legitimate right-wing posts.

Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing a real threat of losing his long hold on power, on June 6 said that Facebook and Twitter had been blocking legitimate right-wing criticism of the Lapid-Bennett coalition. In comments to legislators of his Likud party, Netanyahu said the two social media firms had removed a right-wing post that included the address of a legislator where a protest had been set to take place. He said that a left-wing post that listed the same address but called on demonstrators to support the lawmakers had not been taken down.

Netanyahu said, “It’s a scientific case, simply scientific, clinical, that proves an attempt to shut up the right-wing”.

The PM’s comments came after his son, Yair Netanyahu’s account had been blocked from Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram after he shared a poster calling for a protest outside Yamina MK Nir Orbach’s home. The poster included the home address of Orbach, who is being targeted by Likud in the hope that he would jump ship and oppose the emerging “change government” that would oust Benjamin Netanyahu. Yair’s ban from Facebook and Instagram was for 24 hours, which Twitter banned it for 12 hours.

Following the ban, the Likud party had condemned the act and said that the two social media firms were suspending right-wing activists’ accounts while allowing the left-wing activists to promote counter-protests. In a series of tweets, the right-wing party called the move a “textbook case of political censorship of the right”. It even called on Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to stop the “double standard” and allow freedom of expression for all.

Greatest election fraud’

Meanwhile, Netanyahu on Sunday also said that a newly formed Israeli coalition that is poised to unseat him was the result of the “greatest election fraud” in the history of democracy. He focused his on a broken campaign promise from the man set to replace him as PM, nationalist Naftali Bennett. Bennett had previously promised not to partner with left-wing, centrist and Arab parties. However, on Wednesday he announced with opposition leader Yair Lapid that they had formed a governing coalition with facts from across the political spectrum.

In comments to legislators of his right-wing party, Netanyahu said that the country is witnessing “the greatest election fraud” in the history of any democracy. He added that people justifiably feel deceived and they are responding and they must not be shut up, referring indirectly to Bennett’s campaign promise not to team up with Lapid and others. While condemning violence and incitement, Netanyahu even repeated his designation of the Lapid-Bennett coalition as a dangerous leftist alliance.

In the remarks, which were broadcast live, the 71-year-old said, “This government is endangering Israel with such a danger the likes of which we have not seen for many years. We, my friends and I in Likud, we will vehemently oppose the establishment of this dangerous government of fraud and surrender And if, God forbid, it is established, we will bring it down very quickly”.

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