Netanyahu’s New Media Adviser Sparks Controversy Over Previous Anti-Biden Comments

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has hired a media adviser known for critical tweets about US President Joe Biden, reported Haaretz on Monday. This comes at a time of strained relations between Israel and the US. Gilad Zwick, a journalist at a conservative Israeli TV station, labeled Biden as “unfit” and claimed he was “slowly but surely destroying America.” His tweets hinted at support for former President Donald Trump’s unfounded allegations regarding election rigging in 2020. Zwick later removed some of the controversial tweets.

In response to the reports, Zwick tweeted that he had made the remarks as a private citizen, and no longer holds those views. He pledged to act professionally in his new role.

This appointment has heightened tension between the US and Israel, already fraught due to disagreements over Israel’s proposed judiciary reform and Netanyahu’s ultranationalist government. Biden has expressed concerns over these issues and has not yet extended the traditional invitation to the White House to Netanyahu since the long-time Israeli leader returned to the Prime Minister’s Office in December 2022.

Critics say Netanyahu has interfered in US politics, referring to his apparent endorsement of Republican candidates and his controversial speech to Congress in 2015 against the Iran nuclear deal, and that he is undermining broad American support for Israel by turning it into a partisan issue.