Social media figure Captain George claims Lapid, Liberman work together
Captain George, who in reality is a man called Yoram, was presented by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as evidence that his party does not use bots.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFDefense Minister Avigdor Liberman(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Right-wing social media figure Captain George, who in reality is a man named Yoram, tweeted on Sunday that Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Liberman and Blue and White leader Yair Lapid had met in Vienna and conspired together to bring the nation to a re-do election.Earlier on Sunday Liberman threatened to press legal charges against anyone making such claims.Liberman, writing on social media, said that a lawsuit against Yoram will be filed in the next few days.He also placed all the blame on Netanyahu’s shoulders, saying his party recommended Netanyahu to the office of Prime Minister and he is the one who failed in building a coalition.Liberman further said his support for a unity government is based on the 55 billion nis deficit the state budget now faces, which he sees as a national emergency.He vowed his party will “force Likud and Blue and White into a national unity government.”The original tweet by Yoram was re-tweeted by Yair Netanyahu, son of the Prime Minister. Under Israeli law libel charges can be leveled against those who spread false information as well as those who write them. Yoram was presented at a press conference by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in April following a new article which argued Likud is using fake social media accounts, bots, to turn public opinion against Blue and White.“I thought it was an April Fool’s joke, but it’s not,” Netanyahu said of the Yediot Aharonot-New York Times report. “They say I don’t have support from real people, just from robots. They can’t accept that you, citizens of Israel, support me."
Waving, Yoram said: “I’m not a bot. I wasn’t paid... Whatever I write comes from the heart. I see the injustice done to our prime minister and I react... I am a father to three children, six grandchildren and a seventh on the way, and that’s it. I stand behind every word I tweet.”Netanyahu said “Yoram says what he wants. No one is telling him what to do. It’s one big lie.”
