Popular singer Harel Skaat made headlines a few months ago when he posted on Instagram in support of Netanyahu following his speech to the U.S. Congress, only to delete the post shortly afterward. This past weekend, he explained the reasoning behind his decision in an interview with N12.
In a story posted to Instagram in July, Skaat wrote:
“His success is our success. There’s nothing more to say. An amazing and historic speech. Deep and smart diplomacy. A direct, unapologetic address to the whole world. This is the Netanyahu I voted for more than once in my life. Without an ounce of cynicism, I miss the days when I could trust you with my eyes closed. I hope this beautiful speech, to the sound of applause, gives all of us a moment of pride and unity—supporters and critics alike. Unity for those who stand for the State of Israel. Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, bring the hostages home quickly. The wheel is in your hands, and there’s no driver like you.”
Shortly after posting the story, Skaat deleted it. Over the weekend, he explained why he made that decision. “I didn’t want to be a platform for the overwhelming amount of hatred that was there—not toward me, but between people,” he said in an interview with N12. “This is my account, and I’m not willing to give it a stage for that. I didn’t care about the backlash for deleting it. The comments were disgusting, and the post turned into a battlefield of pros and cons. That wasn’t the goal.”
The singer continued: “As an Israeli Zionist citizen, I believe it was an excellent speech that served the country well during this important and historic time. Our Prime Minister spoke in front of the world’s leaders and did a great job, at a time when we are being maligned, and the reality is being presented entirely differently.”
