Netanyahu’s Appearance On Popular Nelk Boys Podcast Draws Criticism From Right And Left Online

A podcast celebrated among young men shocked nan net this week pinch an unexpected question and reply guest: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

But Netanyahu’s bid to entreaty to young group appeared to backfire online, wherever nan question and reply drew wide disapproval from viewers crossed nan governmental spectrum.

His interviewers, Kyle Forgeard and Aaron “Steiny” Steinberg, are members of nan Nelk Boys, a group of societal media influencers known for their vlogs and prank videos. The group, which has amassed much than 8.5 cardinal subscribers connected YouTube, attracted moreover much fans aft its contented began to item much blimpish governmental figures, including President Donald Trump, whom nan podcast interviewed successful 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Netanyahu’s hourlong interview, which dropped connected nan Nelk Boys’ “Full Send Podcast” connected Monday, was met pinch overwhelmingly captious reception online, pinch viewers accusing nan podcasters of asking softball questions and neglecting to push backmost against Netanyahu’s claims.

Netanyahu and his authorities proceed to look worldwide outrage complete nan warfare successful Gaza that followed nan Hamas-led violent onslaught connected Israel connected Oct. 7, 2023.

The podcast’s YouTube transmission mislaid much than 10,000 subscribers wrong a day, according to nan societal media search level Social Blade. On YouTube, apical comments connected nan section were captious of nan hosts’ evident deficiency of preparedness.

“I spot truthful overmuch worldly astir what’s going connected successful Israel and Iran and Palestine, and to beryllium honest, I conscionable really don’t cognize what is going connected there,” Forgeard said successful nan episode. Steinberg said he was likewise hoping to “get educated” by interviewing Netanyahu.

At 1 point, nan taxable of chat turned to Netanyahu’s and Trump’s shared affection for hamburgers. Asked astir his go-to McDonald’s order, Netanyahu revealed that he prefers Burger King, starring Steinberg to respond, appalled: “That’s your worst take, I think.”

Throughout nan remainder of nan interview, Netanyahu condemned anti-Israel protesters arsenic “un-American” and contrasted life successful Israel pinch life nether nan oppressive authorities successful Iran. He besides railed against New York’s Democratic mayoral nominee, Zohran Mamdani, calling his proposals for nan metropolis “nonsense.” (Mamdani has called Israel’s subject actions successful Gaza “genocide” and has said he would apprehension Netanyahu, who is nan taxable of a warrant for his apprehension from nan International Criminal Court, if he visited New York City.)

Asked why he’s “so hated worldwide,” Netanyahu answered: “Well, a batch of propaganda. First of all, I’m not hated worldwide.” He said Israel has received a batch of goodwill from galore successful Europe, claiming that Israel’s onslaught connected Iran besides “liberated them, because those Iranian missiles were geared astatine Europe, too, and yet astatine America.”

“The propaganda is there, I don’t contradict it,” Netanyahu said. “But group besides have, you know, sometimes nan truth beckons. And what Israel did pinch President Trump is safeguard free societies from a menace. I mean, this Iranian authorities hangs gays from cranes.”

On Monday, 25 countries, including Britain, Japan and galore European nations, called connected Israel to extremity nan warfare successful Gaza — a motion of Israel’s accepted allies’ dismay complete nan conflict’s humanitarian toll. Close to 60,000 Palestinians have been killed successful Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, according to Palestinian wellness authorities, pinch overmuch of nan enclave’s organization driven from their homes and pushed to nan separator of starvation.

The Israeli subject and authorities officials person many times accused Hamas of exploiting civilian sites, including hospitals and schools, arsenic screen for its operations, an accusation that wellness officials and Hamas person denied.

Israel has besides faced mounting accusations of warfare crimes and genocide, including successful a lawsuit brought by South Africa earlier nan International Court of Justice, nan United Nations’ apical court. The tribunal past twelvemonth ordered Israel to do everything it could to forestall genocidal acts successful Gaza. Both Israel and nan United States person rejected accusations of genocide.

Online, clips of Netanyahu’s question and reply drew viral backlash from viewers, galore of whom accused nan Nelk Boys of platforming “genocide propaganda” and compared interviewing Netanyahu to interviewing Adolf Hitler.

Far-left governmental streamer Hasan Piker and far-right achromatic supremacist Nick Fuentes were among those who criticized nan latest “Full Send Podcast” section Monday during abstracted livestreams connected their platforms.

“You conscionable fundamentally presented personification who is simply a warfare criminal, personification who is doing a genocide, successful a somewhat neutral light,” Piker told Forgeard and Steinberg in his stream. “And you can’t beryllium neutral erstwhile you person personification for illustration Benjamin Netanyahu straight successful an opportunity to talk to him. But that’s what happened, truthful location is civilized culpability present for you guys individually.”

He added that while he would work together to question and reply Netanyahu if he were fixed nan opportunity, he would beryllium “well-equipped” to fact-check his statements and push backmost against perchance dubious claims.

Forgeard, successful response, countered that their style of interviewing could "give america nan opportunity to get nan biggest group successful nan world."

"And I deliberation you’ll cognize by nan 'Full Send Podcast' erstwhile you watch it, it’s like, 'Hey, these guys are going to get large guests. We mightiness not needfully get these guys grilling these people,'" Forgeard said. "And that’s conscionable what you’re going to travel to expect."

Fuentes, in his ain stream pinch Forgeard and Steinberg, besides questioned nan civilized equivalency betwixt himself, who has faced condemnation online for his views and beliefs, and “a overseas caput of authorities who is sidesplitting women and children.”

“This is personification who’s successful nan process of committing what is efficaciously an taste cleansing and a genocide,” Fuentes said.

The question and reply struggled to onshore positively moreover among immoderate supporters of Netanyahu’s subject agenda. In The Times of Israel connected Tuesday, contributor Elkana Bar Eitan expressed his disappointment that Netanyahu “blew it” connected nan podcast, contempt nan deficiency of pushback he sewage from nan hosts.

“It was achy to witnesser really Netanyahu, erstwhile a maestro communicator, missed this opportunity and showed that he’s mislaid his touch, moreover successful English,” he wrote successful an sentiment piece. “Despite nan friends ambiance and softball questions, Netanyahu came crossed arsenic wholly detached from reality.”

A typical for nan “Full Send Podcast” declined to comment.

In a video responding to nan backlash, Steinberg and Forgeard said they scheme to “give nan different broadside nan opportunity” to speak connected their adjacent episode, though it’s unclear what impermanent they’re referring to.

“Someone has to do it,” Forgeard said. “And if we person to return nan autumn and beryllium nan bad guys for having nan arguable group on, I deliberation we’re consenting to do it.”