The racist Facebook rants of Netanayhu’s son

Noam Sheizaf By Noam Sheizaf June 24, 2011 | Edit

Haaretz’s Uri Blau uncovered today racist comments and extreme right-wing rhetoric on Yair Netanyahu’s Facebook page. Yair, the eldest son of PM Netanyahu, is currently in mandatory IDF service, in the army’s spokesperson unit. He called for the boycott of Arab businesses (he was even the admin of a Facebook group for that, but only 23 members joined him), made racist comments about Muslims and Arabs, and expressed fierce opposition to a Palestinian state.

In the information section of the boycott group – formed after sectarian clashes between Arabs and Jews in Akko on Yom Kippur two and a half years ago – the young Netanyahu said:

“The Arab sons-of-bitches desecrated our holiest day… it is our duty to do the minimum to save our honor and boycott every Arab business or product. Beside, I boycotted those shits even before.”

A lawyer for the Netanyahu family told Haaretz that the comments were those of a “teenager,” and should be taken as such. He called Haaretz’s article unfair.

About two years ago, aides to Netanyahu also told the press not to think much of other racist comments about Arabs, made in an interview to Maariv by the PM’s father, 99 year-old Ben-Zion Netanyahu:

“The bible finds no worse image than this of the man from the desert. And why? Because he has no respect for any law. Because in the desert he can do as he pleases. The tendency towards conflict is in the essence of the Arab. He is an enemy by essence. His personality won’t allow him any compromise or agreement. It doesn’t matter what kind of resistance he will meet, what price he will pay. His existence is one of perpetuate war.”

Which leaves us wondering: At what age is a member of the Netanyahu clan responsible for his actions?

Noam Sheizaf

Noam Sheizaf is an independent journalist and editor. He was the founding executive director and editor-in-chief of +972 Magazine. Prior to joining +972, he worked for Tel Aviv’s Ha-ir local paper, Ynet, and the Maariv daily, where his last position was deputy editor of the weekend magazine. He is currently working on a number of documentary films.

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