NAKED STATUE OF NETANYAHU ERECTED IN TEL AVIV

Wed 17 March 2021:

Israeli police on Wednesday found erected a bronze statue of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu naked, squatting, and apparently relieving himself in Tel Aviv’s Habima Square, Israeli daily Jerusalem Post reported.

According to the daily, the statue, “which was five meters tall and weighed six tons”, was dubbed “Israeli Hero”.

A statue showing Benjamin Netanyahu crouching and seemingly urinating.

The artist behind the statue remains unknown.

The short-lived installation seems to have provoked a range of emotions in Tel Aviv residents. Some were seen snapping photos of the statue, while others gestured angrily at it.

A video clip of the statue appeared to offend Netanyahu, who is preparing to run in elections a week from now. The Israeli premier considers the polls “fateful.”

This is not the first time the prime minister has been a muse for artists. In December, police removed a six-ton statue of an anti-Netanyahu demonstrator that had been placed near the PM’s residence.

In 2016, a life-size golden figure of Netanyahu appeared in the center of Tel Aviv. Both this and the 2020 work were attributed to Israeli artist Itay Zalait, who said they were a form of political protest.

The March 23 elections, the country’s fourth round of polls in two years, will be held amid a political stalemate among the main parties in Israel. Netanyahu is keen to preserve his post in order to strengthen his position amid an ongoing trial on corruption charges.

The statue was reportedly later removed by Tel Aviv municipality inspectors, while Tel Aviv police officers questioned bystanders, the newspaper said.

Heading the right-wing Likud Party, Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime minister in Israel’s history with more than 14 years in office.