28 june 2018
Ashkelon resident convicted of thousands of counts of extortion and making false statements after terrorizing airlines and institutions in the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Israel for several months; 'It was an act of boredom,' he tells investigators. 'I like to see people running around in panic.'
The Tel Aviv District Court on Thursday convicted an Israeli hacker, who had terrorized institutions in the United States and airlines from his home in the southern city of Ashkelon, of thousands of counts of extortion and making false statements.
The hacker was on trial on trial for making hoax bomb threats against Jewish community centers in the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Israel for several months.
He was also suspected of making false bomb threats against several airlines, forcing several emergency landings from 2015 up until 2017, and even extorting several political figures for monetary gain.
At this stage, the hacker has been convicted of offenses he committed as an adult and has yet to be convicted of the offenses he committed as a minor. A decision on those offenses will be made after receiving an expert opinion.
Judge Zvi Gurfinkel delivered the verdict behind closed doors, as the hacker was still a minor when he committed the offenses and his name has not been cleared for publication.
"It was an act of boredom," the hacker said during his investigation. In another interrogation, he said: "I like to see people running around in panic."
The hacker is represented by attorneys Yoram Sheftel and Meir Ziv.
The hacker's father said in court Thursday, "When the FBI checks who his customers were, they will be surprised. The fact that they determined that he was fit to stand trial was a lie and a conspiracy against a helpless person. We have been raising this child for 18 years. He is incapable of telling good from bad. His discretion is horrible. There is a conspiracy here."
Attorney Meir Ziv said, "We can't ignore the fact that this whole trial is affected by the American pressure. They are expecting a conviction and the maximum sentence or an extradition to the US. The fact that he was tried in Israel prevented the extradition to the US. The sweeping disqualification of the defense's opinion and the acceptance of all the prosecution's work conveys something here. The American cloud is hovering above us and has had quite an influence."
Judge Gurfinkel noted Thursday, "The defendant changed his version according to his needs. He is well aware of the consequences of his actions. He understands what it means and keeps changing his version according to the convenient defense line."
Attorney Yoni Hadad from the cyber department of Israel's State Attorney's Office, said: "The defendant carried out thousands of bomb threat calls to airlines, airports, police stations, schools and different institutions. He threatened that explosive devices had been planted in airplanes and schools and in other public places. As a result of these threats, planes were forced to land in different airports, schools were evacuated and emergency forces were alerted. He essentially created panic, terrorized many people and disrupted their lives."
The hacker was indicted in April 2017, at the age of 18, for making thousands of threatening phone calls and bomb threats to various institutions and venues across the world.
The indictment in Israel came on the heels of a similar US Federal indictment filed in Florida and Georgia against the dual Israeli-American national for hate crimes.
The indictment detailed 2,000 incidents the suspect was allegedly involved in, including false bomb threats to Jewish schools and community centers, planes, airports and sporting events.
For example, one of the charges references a bomb threat made against an El Al flight on its way to Israel. As a result of the mid-air scare, French and Swiss fighter jets were scrambled to escort the passenger plane to a safe landing.
In another incident, the suspect threatened an airport in Canada causing a passenger plane to be diverted to another airport and evacuated according to emergency protocols, which led to six people being injured.
The suspect was also charged with calling in a threat against the airplane belonging to the Boston Celtics, who were travelling for a game.
In a more brazen act, it was revealed that the suspect attempted to extort a Republican member of the US Senate before sending him drugs in the mail and threatening his children.
Other offenses attributed to the suspect included the publication of false information to cause fear and panic, computer crimes, money laundering offenses, weapons possession, assaulting a police officer, mediating drug trafficking, providing means to commit a crime and possessing and disseminating pedophilic materials.
The Tel Aviv District Court on Thursday convicted an Israeli hacker, who had terrorized institutions in the United States and airlines from his home in the southern city of Ashkelon, of thousands of counts of extortion and making false statements.
The hacker was on trial on trial for making hoax bomb threats against Jewish community centers in the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Israel for several months.
He was also suspected of making false bomb threats against several airlines, forcing several emergency landings from 2015 up until 2017, and even extorting several political figures for monetary gain.
At this stage, the hacker has been convicted of offenses he committed as an adult and has yet to be convicted of the offenses he committed as a minor. A decision on those offenses will be made after receiving an expert opinion.
Judge Zvi Gurfinkel delivered the verdict behind closed doors, as the hacker was still a minor when he committed the offenses and his name has not been cleared for publication.
"It was an act of boredom," the hacker said during his investigation. In another interrogation, he said: "I like to see people running around in panic."
The hacker is represented by attorneys Yoram Sheftel and Meir Ziv.
The hacker's father said in court Thursday, "When the FBI checks who his customers were, they will be surprised. The fact that they determined that he was fit to stand trial was a lie and a conspiracy against a helpless person. We have been raising this child for 18 years. He is incapable of telling good from bad. His discretion is horrible. There is a conspiracy here."
Attorney Meir Ziv said, "We can't ignore the fact that this whole trial is affected by the American pressure. They are expecting a conviction and the maximum sentence or an extradition to the US. The fact that he was tried in Israel prevented the extradition to the US. The sweeping disqualification of the defense's opinion and the acceptance of all the prosecution's work conveys something here. The American cloud is hovering above us and has had quite an influence."
Judge Gurfinkel noted Thursday, "The defendant changed his version according to his needs. He is well aware of the consequences of his actions. He understands what it means and keeps changing his version according to the convenient defense line."
Attorney Yoni Hadad from the cyber department of Israel's State Attorney's Office, said: "The defendant carried out thousands of bomb threat calls to airlines, airports, police stations, schools and different institutions. He threatened that explosive devices had been planted in airplanes and schools and in other public places. As a result of these threats, planes were forced to land in different airports, schools were evacuated and emergency forces were alerted. He essentially created panic, terrorized many people and disrupted their lives."
The hacker was indicted in April 2017, at the age of 18, for making thousands of threatening phone calls and bomb threats to various institutions and venues across the world.
The indictment in Israel came on the heels of a similar US Federal indictment filed in Florida and Georgia against the dual Israeli-American national for hate crimes.
The indictment detailed 2,000 incidents the suspect was allegedly involved in, including false bomb threats to Jewish schools and community centers, planes, airports and sporting events.
For example, one of the charges references a bomb threat made against an El Al flight on its way to Israel. As a result of the mid-air scare, French and Swiss fighter jets were scrambled to escort the passenger plane to a safe landing.
In another incident, the suspect threatened an airport in Canada causing a passenger plane to be diverted to another airport and evacuated according to emergency protocols, which led to six people being injured.
The suspect was also charged with calling in a threat against the airplane belonging to the Boston Celtics, who were travelling for a game.
In a more brazen act, it was revealed that the suspect attempted to extort a Republican member of the US Senate before sending him drugs in the mail and threatening his children.
Other offenses attributed to the suspect included the publication of false information to cause fear and panic, computer crimes, money laundering offenses, weapons possession, assaulting a police officer, mediating drug trafficking, providing means to commit a crime and possessing and disseminating pedophilic materials.
22 june 2018
The Palestinian Authority’s Information Ministry sent a letter to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) complaining about the preliminary Israeli Knesset proposal, which passed the first reading, forbidding journalists, and ordinary residents, from filming and documenting Israeli invasions and military activities in occupied Palestine.
The new bill passed the first reading in a 45-42 vote and aims at outlawing filming the soldiers with what is described as “the intent to demoralize them, or harming Israel’s security.”
The new law allows the army to abduct and imprison those “who violate the law” up to five years, “if the documentation harmed the soldiers’ fighting spirit.”
It also calls for imprisoning the Palestinians for ten years if “they filmed the soldiers with the intent to harm Israel’s security.”
The Information Ministry sent a letter to Philippe Leruth, the elected head of the IFJ, and members of its executive committee, calling on them to intervene.
It said that the new Israeli law is not only racist, but also targets every Palestinian, and every journalist, who documents Israel’s invasions, criminalizes Palestinian journalists, and prevents them from performing their duties, in direct violation of all related International Laws and regulations, especially the Freedom of the Press.
The Ministry added that the law also violates UN Security Council Resolution #2222, which provides protection to the journalists, and stated that Israel is giving its soldiers a free hand in assaulting and arresting the journalists just for performing their duties, and targets the residents who have the right to document the invasions.
“This also gives the army more opportunities to commit massacres and terrorist attacks against the Palestinians,” it said, “This law was drafted first after Israeli soldiers, stationed in fortified posts across the border fence with Gaza, were filmed cheering and celebrating the shooting a Palestinian child with sniper fire.”
BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) activists, in addition to local journalists and social media activists, are documenting the invasions, serious violations. They are documenting crimes committed by the Israeli army with direct support from the political leadership in Tel Aviv.
Several political analysts in Palestine, and Palestinian solidarity activists, said that the new Israeli law is yet another proof that Israel fears the truth, especially since its army has been caught on video so many times, committing serious violations and crimes against unarmed Palestinian protesters, and the civilian population.
They added that this law, which violates every related international law and agreement, would have been described as a form of dictatorship if it was enacted by other countries.
In its letter, the Information Ministry said:
Palestinian Journalists are facing ongoing Israeli aggression, and are paying a high price due to these violations, resulting in the recent deaths of two journalists, Yasser Mortaja and Ahmad Abu Hussein, who were killed by the army in Gaza, this past April.
After Israel released the Elor Azaria, the 19-year-old Israeli soldier who executed the seriously wounded Palestinian, Abdul-Fattah Sharif, and was pardoned and released just nine months after committing his crime, in which he was only sentenced to 18 months in prison, and after Israel arrested and interrogated the Palestinian journalist, Imad Abu Shamsiyya, who was also subject to constant violations for documenting this crime, Tel Aviv now wants to criminalize, and imprison the journalists for performing their duties, for exposing the violations.
Israeli soldiers also carried out 106 violations against Palestinian journalists this year alone, and four violations against media outlets, in addition to six attacks targeting Palestinians who work for media agencies.
The new draft law, which was presented by Member of Knesset Robert Ilatov of “Israel Our Home Party,” with full the backing of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is meant to prevent the media, and the people, from documenting the ongoing Israeli crimes against the Palestinians, and grants the army a green light for more violations.
This law also threatens foreign media agencies and journalists, and is meant to terrorize them, to force them to refrain from documenting the army’s violations in occupied Palestine.
This law requires all of us to act, all around the world, and requires immediate intervention from the IFJ to protect the sanctity of the media and its freedoms, as stated by all related International Laws and regulations.
It is worth mentioning that Ilatov attacked the BDS Movement (Boycott Divestment and Sanctions), considering it hostile to the army and stating that the soldiers “are sent to the front lines of BDS groups,” in an attempt to label the nonviolent BDS activists as “combatants.”
Ilatov also said that the Israel “will not allow the BDS Movement and its supporters to slander Israel and dehumanize its soldiers.”
The new bill passed the first reading in a 45-42 vote and aims at outlawing filming the soldiers with what is described as “the intent to demoralize them, or harming Israel’s security.”
The new law allows the army to abduct and imprison those “who violate the law” up to five years, “if the documentation harmed the soldiers’ fighting spirit.”
It also calls for imprisoning the Palestinians for ten years if “they filmed the soldiers with the intent to harm Israel’s security.”
The Information Ministry sent a letter to Philippe Leruth, the elected head of the IFJ, and members of its executive committee, calling on them to intervene.
It said that the new Israeli law is not only racist, but also targets every Palestinian, and every journalist, who documents Israel’s invasions, criminalizes Palestinian journalists, and prevents them from performing their duties, in direct violation of all related International Laws and regulations, especially the Freedom of the Press.
The Ministry added that the law also violates UN Security Council Resolution #2222, which provides protection to the journalists, and stated that Israel is giving its soldiers a free hand in assaulting and arresting the journalists just for performing their duties, and targets the residents who have the right to document the invasions.
“This also gives the army more opportunities to commit massacres and terrorist attacks against the Palestinians,” it said, “This law was drafted first after Israeli soldiers, stationed in fortified posts across the border fence with Gaza, were filmed cheering and celebrating the shooting a Palestinian child with sniper fire.”
BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) activists, in addition to local journalists and social media activists, are documenting the invasions, serious violations. They are documenting crimes committed by the Israeli army with direct support from the political leadership in Tel Aviv.
Several political analysts in Palestine, and Palestinian solidarity activists, said that the new Israeli law is yet another proof that Israel fears the truth, especially since its army has been caught on video so many times, committing serious violations and crimes against unarmed Palestinian protesters, and the civilian population.
They added that this law, which violates every related international law and agreement, would have been described as a form of dictatorship if it was enacted by other countries.
In its letter, the Information Ministry said:
Palestinian Journalists are facing ongoing Israeli aggression, and are paying a high price due to these violations, resulting in the recent deaths of two journalists, Yasser Mortaja and Ahmad Abu Hussein, who were killed by the army in Gaza, this past April.
After Israel released the Elor Azaria, the 19-year-old Israeli soldier who executed the seriously wounded Palestinian, Abdul-Fattah Sharif, and was pardoned and released just nine months after committing his crime, in which he was only sentenced to 18 months in prison, and after Israel arrested and interrogated the Palestinian journalist, Imad Abu Shamsiyya, who was also subject to constant violations for documenting this crime, Tel Aviv now wants to criminalize, and imprison the journalists for performing their duties, for exposing the violations.
Israeli soldiers also carried out 106 violations against Palestinian journalists this year alone, and four violations against media outlets, in addition to six attacks targeting Palestinians who work for media agencies.
The new draft law, which was presented by Member of Knesset Robert Ilatov of “Israel Our Home Party,” with full the backing of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is meant to prevent the media, and the people, from documenting the ongoing Israeli crimes against the Palestinians, and grants the army a green light for more violations.
This law also threatens foreign media agencies and journalists, and is meant to terrorize them, to force them to refrain from documenting the army’s violations in occupied Palestine.
This law requires all of us to act, all around the world, and requires immediate intervention from the IFJ to protect the sanctity of the media and its freedoms, as stated by all related International Laws and regulations.
It is worth mentioning that Ilatov attacked the BDS Movement (Boycott Divestment and Sanctions), considering it hostile to the army and stating that the soldiers “are sent to the front lines of BDS groups,” in an attempt to label the nonviolent BDS activists as “combatants.”
Ilatov also said that the Israel “will not allow the BDS Movement and its supporters to slander Israel and dehumanize its soldiers.”
21 june 2018
An Israeli bill banning the filming and photographing of Israeli soldiers' violations in the West Bank passed a preliminary Knesset vote Wednesday.
According to the Hebrew media, 45 members of Knesset supported the bill, while 42 stood in opposition. Coalition members clarified that the wording of the bill would change before moving forward.
The bill has to pass the second and third reading before becoming legislation.
The version approved Wednesday calls for a five-year prison term for anyone filming or distributing footage on social media that documents confrontations between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians, with the intent to “break the spirit of Israeli soldiers and inhabitants.”
However, anyone who documents such activities and disseminates the information with an intent to harm national security could face up to 10 years in prison.
According to the Hebrew media, 45 members of Knesset supported the bill, while 42 stood in opposition. Coalition members clarified that the wording of the bill would change before moving forward.
The bill has to pass the second and third reading before becoming legislation.
The version approved Wednesday calls for a five-year prison term for anyone filming or distributing footage on social media that documents confrontations between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians, with the intent to “break the spirit of Israeli soldiers and inhabitants.”
However, anyone who documents such activities and disseminates the information with an intent to harm national security could face up to 10 years in prison.
19 june 2018
After being slammed in the media for his obscure views on LGBT community and Pride Parade, Yoel Yeshurun removes his homophobic Facebook post, but refuses to apologize; Holon Mayor Moti Sasson says he regrets his deputy's comments, which don't reflect the city's perception and policy.
Holon's Deputy Mayor Yoel Yeshurun, who serves as the dean of the Ashkelon Academic College, published a homophobic post on his Facebook page against the Gay Pride Parade and the LGBT community last week.
Yashurun lashed out at Tel Aviv's Mayor Ron Huldai, calling him "a wiry old man," whose Judaism is questionable, and claimed the media portrays "those crazy people" as the "standard-bearers (of liberalism)," although they are people of "darkness and barbarity coming from hell."
Yeshurun removed his offensive post on Sunday after withstanding harsh social media criticism.
"Tel Aviv has nurtured wild weeds, monsters resembling to those in the Jurassic Park movie whose small distorted minds orchestrated parades of two-legged vile repulsive animals," Yeshurun wrote.
"At the top of the tower stands a wiry old man, a gourmet-lover whose Judaism is questionable. He celebrates by eating dog meat, causing the Jewish people to hurl on his plate," he said.
"And the dog-eater's city? There, on Tel Aviv's streets those two-legged animals walk proudly, deeply disturbed, those who lay with men as well as ugly female animals with 'I'm a slut' tattoos!!!" he hatefully added.
Yeshurun accused the media of supporting the LGBT community and portraying them as freedom, liberty, and equality fighters.
"Hasn't the media understood yet it is representing only fragments of the population and most of the nation is revolted by these animal parades?" he charged.
When commenting on his malicious post, Yeshurun said, "I wrote this post on my private Facebook post, and I'm not taking back what I wrote."
"My words weren't aimed, not even by a hint, at the LGBT community, rather at the parades and their extraversion," he explained.
"The LGBT community itself criticizes those parades and the damage they do to its own struggle (for equality)," Holon's deputy mayor added.
Holon Mayor Moti Sasson said the post published on Facebook "is the deputy mayor's personal opinion, which of course doesn't reflect Holon and its mayor's perception and policy.
"We can only regret the things that were said," Sasson concluded.
The Ashkelon Academic College also issued a statement saying, "Yoel Yeshurun wrote his post on his private Facebook page. As a citizen in a democratic country, Mr. Yeshurun Is allowed to express his views and we don't see the need to intervene in the matter."
Holon City Council Member Israel Moran said Yeshurun's post was revolting and disgusting. "He said harsh, vile, and unacceptable things."
Two weeks ago, in anticipation of the Gay Pride Parade in Tel Aviv, a teacher employed in the secular Rafael Eitan high school in Ramat Gan asked his students to read the book of Psalms for "God to save us from the shame and the disgrace."
The teacher wrote in the Students' WhatsApp group: "Unfortunately, on Friday a great blasphemy will take place in Tel Aviv. We cannot do anything to stop it, but God will salvage us."
"Read a chapter of Psalms and we will be saved from the shame and disgrace," he asked his students.
Holon's Deputy Mayor Yoel Yeshurun, who serves as the dean of the Ashkelon Academic College, published a homophobic post on his Facebook page against the Gay Pride Parade and the LGBT community last week.
Yashurun lashed out at Tel Aviv's Mayor Ron Huldai, calling him "a wiry old man," whose Judaism is questionable, and claimed the media portrays "those crazy people" as the "standard-bearers (of liberalism)," although they are people of "darkness and barbarity coming from hell."
Yeshurun removed his offensive post on Sunday after withstanding harsh social media criticism.
"Tel Aviv has nurtured wild weeds, monsters resembling to those in the Jurassic Park movie whose small distorted minds orchestrated parades of two-legged vile repulsive animals," Yeshurun wrote.
"At the top of the tower stands a wiry old man, a gourmet-lover whose Judaism is questionable. He celebrates by eating dog meat, causing the Jewish people to hurl on his plate," he said.
"And the dog-eater's city? There, on Tel Aviv's streets those two-legged animals walk proudly, deeply disturbed, those who lay with men as well as ugly female animals with 'I'm a slut' tattoos!!!" he hatefully added.
Yeshurun accused the media of supporting the LGBT community and portraying them as freedom, liberty, and equality fighters.
"Hasn't the media understood yet it is representing only fragments of the population and most of the nation is revolted by these animal parades?" he charged.
When commenting on his malicious post, Yeshurun said, "I wrote this post on my private Facebook post, and I'm not taking back what I wrote."
"My words weren't aimed, not even by a hint, at the LGBT community, rather at the parades and their extraversion," he explained.
"The LGBT community itself criticizes those parades and the damage they do to its own struggle (for equality)," Holon's deputy mayor added.
Holon Mayor Moti Sasson said the post published on Facebook "is the deputy mayor's personal opinion, which of course doesn't reflect Holon and its mayor's perception and policy.
"We can only regret the things that were said," Sasson concluded.
The Ashkelon Academic College also issued a statement saying, "Yoel Yeshurun wrote his post on his private Facebook page. As a citizen in a democratic country, Mr. Yeshurun Is allowed to express his views and we don't see the need to intervene in the matter."
Holon City Council Member Israel Moran said Yeshurun's post was revolting and disgusting. "He said harsh, vile, and unacceptable things."
Two weeks ago, in anticipation of the Gay Pride Parade in Tel Aviv, a teacher employed in the secular Rafael Eitan high school in Ramat Gan asked his students to read the book of Psalms for "God to save us from the shame and the disgrace."
The teacher wrote in the Students' WhatsApp group: "Unfortunately, on Friday a great blasphemy will take place in Tel Aviv. We cannot do anything to stop it, but God will salvage us."
"Read a chapter of Psalms and we will be saved from the shame and disgrace," he asked his students.
11 june 2018
The North Korean account, whose authenticity Haaretz could not confirm, responded to a video published by the Israeli premier on Twitter offering Iran water tech.
Israel's Foreign Ministry spokesman responded on Monday to an insult tweeted by an account claiming to belong to the North Korean foreign minister.
In a tweet, Ri Yong-Ho called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "Stinking Zionist," blasting the premier for killing the people of Gaza. The tweets by the minister were made from an unverified account, and Haaretz could not independently confirm its authenticity.
The statement was made in response to a video published on Netanyahu's account on Sunday.
Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon responded to the North Korean tweet: "On the bright side- you follow us on Twitter and react. On the negative side- you insult us with no reason."
Nahshon insisted Israel is a peace seeking nation, "defending itself against a brutal and hate filled Iranian regime seeking our destruction."
The Twitter account does not have a verified icon, and has only 2,000 followers. A senior expert on North Korea told Haaretz he is not familiar with the account. Furthermore, renowned research organizations specializing in North Korea are not among the followers.
In the video, Netanyahu takes a sip from a glass of water before alerting that Iran is facing a drought. He then accuses the regime led by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei of using the country's resources for malign purposes and of neglecting its people.
In the response, a tweet in the account claiming to belong to Yong-Ho dismissed Netanyahu as a "criminal/liar" who wouldn't deliver on his promise. "Meanwhile he can't be bothered giving water to Gaza; he kills them instead."
The Twitter exchange was made as U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korea were preparing for a summit Tuesday in Singapore aimed at getting Kim to give up his nuclear weapons.
This is not the first time Israel and North Korea have traded rhetorical barbs. In 2017, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said in an interview to the Walla! news site that the country's sole goal was "undermining global stability," and called its leadership "a crazy and radical group."
In response, a statement released by the North Korean Foreign Ministry called Avigdor Lieberman's statement "reckless" and a form of "sordid and wicked behavior" that posed a "grave challenge to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."
In January 2015, North Korea fumed at Israel after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the so-called DPRK of "enforcing merciless and radical dictatorship," while on a visit to Japan. Calling Netanyahu's remarks "an unpardonable insult," North Korea charged at the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories.
North Korea has also criticized Israel on other occasions, charging at its settlements in the West Bank, its conduct during the 2014 war in Gaza and at alleged Israeli airstrikes in Syria.
North Korea is considered one of the world's most hostile nations toward Israel. In the last decades, it has provided training, arms and various technologies to entities considered enemies of the Jewish state, including Iran, whose missile program benefitted greatly from North Korean assistance.
Israel's Foreign Ministry spokesman responded on Monday to an insult tweeted by an account claiming to belong to the North Korean foreign minister.
In a tweet, Ri Yong-Ho called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "Stinking Zionist," blasting the premier for killing the people of Gaza. The tweets by the minister were made from an unverified account, and Haaretz could not independently confirm its authenticity.
The statement was made in response to a video published on Netanyahu's account on Sunday.
Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon responded to the North Korean tweet: "On the bright side- you follow us on Twitter and react. On the negative side- you insult us with no reason."
Nahshon insisted Israel is a peace seeking nation, "defending itself against a brutal and hate filled Iranian regime seeking our destruction."
The Twitter account does not have a verified icon, and has only 2,000 followers. A senior expert on North Korea told Haaretz he is not familiar with the account. Furthermore, renowned research organizations specializing in North Korea are not among the followers.
In the video, Netanyahu takes a sip from a glass of water before alerting that Iran is facing a drought. He then accuses the regime led by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei of using the country's resources for malign purposes and of neglecting its people.
In the response, a tweet in the account claiming to belong to Yong-Ho dismissed Netanyahu as a "criminal/liar" who wouldn't deliver on his promise. "Meanwhile he can't be bothered giving water to Gaza; he kills them instead."
The Twitter exchange was made as U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korea were preparing for a summit Tuesday in Singapore aimed at getting Kim to give up his nuclear weapons.
This is not the first time Israel and North Korea have traded rhetorical barbs. In 2017, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said in an interview to the Walla! news site that the country's sole goal was "undermining global stability," and called its leadership "a crazy and radical group."
In response, a statement released by the North Korean Foreign Ministry called Avigdor Lieberman's statement "reckless" and a form of "sordid and wicked behavior" that posed a "grave challenge to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."
In January 2015, North Korea fumed at Israel after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the so-called DPRK of "enforcing merciless and radical dictatorship," while on a visit to Japan. Calling Netanyahu's remarks "an unpardonable insult," North Korea charged at the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories.
North Korea has also criticized Israel on other occasions, charging at its settlements in the West Bank, its conduct during the 2014 war in Gaza and at alleged Israeli airstrikes in Syria.
North Korea is considered one of the world's most hostile nations toward Israel. In the last decades, it has provided training, arms and various technologies to entities considered enemies of the Jewish state, including Iran, whose missile program benefitted greatly from North Korean assistance.
