MK Zvika Fogel (Otzma Yehudit), chair of the Knesset’s National Security Committee, drew widespread criticism after a since-deleted post of his to X/Twitter, taking aim at US President Donald Trump, went viral.
"Donald, if you have to shoot, shoot. Don't quack," Fogel wrote, adding an emoticon of a duck to the end of the statement.
The post remained online for over an hour and gained traction on international platforms, reaching roughly half a million views.
Ben-Gvir urges Fogel to delete post, issue clarification
Party officials reportedly urged Fogel to delete the tweet shortly after it was published.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who leads Otzma Yehudit, was in a cabinet meeting without access to his phone and was initially unaware of the situation. Upon learning of the post, he instructed Fogel to remove it and issue a clarification.
"Mr. President, just as you consider what is best for the United States, I consider what is best for the State of Israel-and that is the only thing before my eyes," Fogel wrote in his clarification message, adding that his intention behind the critical post was "to be heard."
"There was no intention to offend or show any disrespect, and for that I regret. I hold great respect and appreciation for our partners, with you at the forefront. It is important that we continue on this path until victory."
Fogel has previously used similar phrasing to target the American president.
Following Trump's announcement of the ceasefire with Iran, he wrote in another now-deleted X post: “Donald, you really wimped out,” using the Hebrew word for “duck” to describe the American president, which in slang implies weakness or a lack of backbone.
No clarification or follow-up message was issued after deleting this post.
Tobias Siegal contributed to this story.