Netanyahu mocks Biden in video about Israel-US meeting

In a video, Benjamin Netanyahu could be seen mocking the head movement that led many to think that US President Biden had fallen asleep in his first meeting with PM Bennett.

By ARIELLA MARSDEN
PRIME MINISTER Naftali Bennett and US President Joe Biden chat in the Oval Office last week. (photo credit: JONATHAN ERNST / REUTERS)
PRIME MINISTER Naftali Bennett and US President Joe Biden chat in the Oval Office last week.
(photo credit: JONATHAN ERNST / REUTERS)

Israel's former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was seen mocking US President Joe Biden in a video posted to Twitter on Sunday.

In the video, someone off-camera can be heard saying to Netanyahu "You know, Bennett met with Biden," to which Netanyahu replied "I heard. I heard that Biden was very attentive and dropped his head in agreement," while copying the head motion that led many to think that Biden had fallen asleep during his meeting with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

Many assumed that Biden fell asleep after MK Galit Distel Atbaryan tweeted a video from the meeting in which it looks like Biden had fallen asleep, writing "for some reason the Israeli media fell asleep themselves and didn't notice this historical bit. I thought you should know anyway."

The tweet was flagged by Twitter as containing "manipulated media".

Benny Gantz and Benjamin Netanyahu sitting opposite one another in 24 Knesset Swearing in Ceremony. (credit: KNESSET)
Benny Gantz and Benjamin Netanyahu sitting opposite one another in 24 Knesset Swearing in Ceremony. (credit: KNESSET)

USA Today reported a few days after the meeting that the claim was fake, and the tweeted video only showed a brief moment when Biden lowered his head in agreement, but the rest of the video from the meeting shows Biden very much awake.

Bennett himself was satisfied with the way the meeting went, saying that it was an excellent meeting and inviting Biden to visit him in Israel.

Meretz tweeted in response to Netanyahu's video, saying "the opposition leader and full-time defendant mocks the president of the US, a pathetic mocking that humiliates mainly Netanyahu and the party he leads."

The tweet went on to give Netanyahu three recommendations: "1. apologize, 2. Get out of our sight and 3. go worry about your trial. We are too busy clearing up the mess you left behind."

Veteran journalist Ben Caspit also condemned the video. "I'm struggling to find the words," he wrote. "He, who called himself a 'different league' presents us with a number that includes a mocking of the US president. A serving president, yes? And in the same breath, he wants to go back to being prime minister. What got into him?"

On the contrary, The Likud tweeted in defense of Netanyahu. "In contrast to the distorted picture that was broadcast in the media, former prime minister Netanyahu wasn't criticizing President Biden whom he's known and considered a friend of Israel for 40 years," they wrote. "His criticism was aimed only at Naftali Bennett who, during his visit at the White House, spoke at length about nothing."



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