Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Newsmax on Thursday that accusations circulating in the online echo chamber that Israel was behind the assassination of Charlie Kirk are "insane," warning that such lies parrot centuries-old antisemitic tropes.
Netanyahu told "The Record With Greta Van Susteren" that he was stunned to see such claims circulating on social media.
"That's insane. That's insane," he said. "Israel also changes the orbit of the moon. Israel pushes the sun. I mean, the whole thing is, it's not only insane. It's so absurd, so stupid, so ridiculous."
Netanyahu said the spread of conspiracy theories is rooted in hatred of Jews and of Israel.
"When you hate Jews, when you hate the Jewish state, you're willing to say anything and promote all these absurd rumors," he said. "Over the centuries, especially in the Middle Ages, the horrific Middle Ages, the worst things were said about Jews, you couldn't possibly believe. We were poisoning the wells. We were drinking the blood of Christian children, you name it. I mean, these things that continued actually up to the Holocaust.
"The Nazis said the same thing. You know, we're carrying vermin, we're spreading disease, and people believed it. And every time they believed it, this was a prelude to a greater and greater massacre, culminating with the worst massacre of them all, the Holocaust. Well, since then, we've learned when people spread these lies about us, prepare yourself for the assault. And, you know, they're trying to delegitimize the state of Israel."
He connected such lies to the assassination Wednesday of Turning Point USA co-founder and CEO Charlie Kirk, who was gunned down at an event in Utah.
"Charlie Kirk said to me … you have to fight the slander, these untruths, these vilifications, have consequences," Netanyahu said. "And he was right."
Netanyahu argued that dismissing conspiracy theories is vital to preventing further violence.
"I'll tell you one thing, we're fighting on the battlefield against the terrorists and winning," he said. "And [Kirk] was fighting in the battlefield of ideas, and I think he was winning. He was going to win. That's why they shot him. I hope they don't silence him.
"I don't think people will give in to these ridiculous, ridiculous lies. But more importantly, I think that [Kirk's] legacy of defending free speech, defending freedom, defending the right to defend yourself and Israel's right to defend itself, I think this is a legacy that will endure, and I trust that those Americans who are listening to us know what is the real American patriotism."
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