Yair Netanyahu apologizes for sharing meme of Hindu goddess Durga
The younger Netanyahu has faced prior criticism for Tweeting controversial comments and memes.
By CODY LEVINEYAIR NETANYAHU at a recent court hearing.(photo credit: AVSHALOM SHOSHANI)
Yair Netanyahu, son of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was criticized Sunday for sharing a meme of the Hindu Goddess on Twitter, prompting an apology from the former after receiving outrage from Indians, who revere the goddess, according to a report from Scroll.in, an India-based news website.Yair Netanyahu, 29, tweeted a picture of Durga superimposed with the face of Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit and prosecutor Liat Ben Ari, in relation to the ongoing corruption case of his father. The caption of the meme read, in Hebrew, “Know your place you despicable people”.In response to the backlash from Indian followers of the Prime Minster, Yair Netanyahu apologized on Twitter, saying that “I’ve tweeted a meme from a satirical page, criticizing political figures in Israel. I didn’t realize the meme also portrayed an image conected to the majestic Hindu faith. As soon as I realized it from comments of our Indian friends, I removed the tweet. I apologize.”The younger Netanyahu has faced prior criticism for Tweeting controversial comments. In June, Netanyahu called for minorities to be banished from Tel Aviv-Jaffa.Netanyahu made the comment in response to riots that began because of the city's plan to build the Center for the Homeless on a site that was an old Muslim cemetery. He was reacting on Twitter to Blue and White minister Alon Schuster saying there was no chance for coexistence of Arabs and the Jewish minority in Hebron.Similarly in May, Netanyahu used his Twitter account to claim that N12 anchorwoman Dana Weiss is in a “bribe-like relationship with Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit who gave her endless leaks [regarding] criminal [cases].”He also implied that Weiss lacks job qualifications and hinted that she received her position via sexual favors, writing on Twitter “does anyone know how Dana Weiss got such a top position on N12? Is she eloquent? No. Is she smart? No. Interesting….”The apology came after the journalist threatened to sue him for defamation.
