A Newsmax host asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reply to fringe theories that Israel was behind the killing of Charlie Kirk ― and got an earful from the leader on the “ridiculous,” “insane” and “stupid” rumors. (Watch the video below.)
Greta Van Susteren prefaced the question Thursday by noting the “absurdity” of the claims.
“Before I let you go, I want you to address one thing, and it’s just the absurdity of it,” Van Susteren said. “Some of the internet rumors that somehow Israel is behind the Charlie Kirk murder, and you know, I don’t believe it for one second, but I want you to, you know, make a statement. It’s so absurd.”
Netanyahu laughed ruefully before proceeding.
“That’s insane,” he said. “Israel also changes the orbit of the moon. Israel pushes the sun. I mean, the whole thing is not only insane, I think it’s so absurd, so stupid, and so ridiculous. You can’t believe that people are saying that.”
Fast-forward to 7:13 for the exchange:
“When you hate Jews, when you hate the Jewish state, you’re willing to say anything and promote all these absurd, absurd rumors,” he added.
He eventually pivoted to Kirk, the popular right-wing activist who was killed on Wednesday.
“Charlie Kirk said to me … ‘You have to fight the slander. These untruths, these vilifications have consequences.’ And he was right. But I’ll tell you one thing, we’re fighting on the battlefield against the terrorists and winning, and he was fighting in the battlefield of ideas, and I think he was winning.”
While Kirk defended Israel’s offensive in Gaza that has spurred growing condemnation, he expressed negative views about Jews.
According to The New York Times, Kirk was a “proponent” of so-called replacement theory, which says Jews are trying to supplant and disempower white Americans with immigrants of color. He also said Jewish money was fomenting quasi-Marxism and undermining higher education and Hollywood.
