Benjamin Netanyahu's Reaction to New Controversy Involving His Son

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended his son on Tuesday after a video surfaced showing him drunk and heading to a strip club. The 'offensive' remarks made by Netanyahu's son about women in the video have sparked severe criticism. According to Reuters, the video, recorded in 2015 during a night out in Tel Aviv with two friends, was published on Monday by the Israeli news website 'Hadashot'. In the video, Netanyahu's son and his friends joke about who spent more money that night. At one point, Yair Netanyahu claims he spent 400 shekels (about $115) on a prostitute. In another part of the video, Yair tells one of his friends that he is willing to offer his ex-girlfriend instead of the money he owes him. He comments on the dancing and appearance of the naked dancers and appears to be embarrassed due to a phone call from his mother. Yair Netanyahu stated that the news report is nonsense, the filming was illegal, and he was drunk at the time. In a statement published in Israeli media, he said, 'I said stupid things about women and others that I should not have said. These issues do not reflect the character and moral standards I was raised with. I regret it and apologize to anyone who was insulted by this.' The video has become a significant news story in Israel. Netanyahu's son has been criticized for using a government car and security personnel to party at strip clubs. An opposition party member in the Israeli parliament wrote on Facebook, 'This is a terrible moral bankruptcy. He behaves very offensively while using government vehicles and security and makes inappropriate comments about women.' According to Reuters, Benjamin Netanyahu said in a press conference in Jerusalem on Tuesday that his son has properly apologized and added, 'My wife and I have raised our children to respect all people and all women.' One of Yair Netanyahu's friends who accompanied him that night is the son of an Israeli businessman named Kobi Maimon, who is a shareholder in Israel's gas fields. At the time the video was recorded, Netanyahu's government was finalizing a major contract for the development of these gas fields. In part of the video, Netanyahu's son tells his friend, 'Bro, my dad arranged a $20 billion deal for your dad, and you can't give me 400 shekels?' Benjamin Netanyahu stated in a written response to the news that he was unaware of his son's friendship with Maimon's son and that this issue had no impact on the gas contract, and his son was also unaware of this contract. The Israeli Prime Minister described the report as a farce and added that it is part of a media campaign against his right-wing government. Yair Netanyahu has previously been at the center of other scandals. In December, he sparked criticism and anger by posting a cartoon attacking his father's opponents in Israel and abroad. Even groups combating anti-Semitism described it as an anti-Semitic image. In August, he made headlines again when he wrote on social media regarding the white nationalist rally in Virginia, USA, that far-left groups are even more dangerous than neo-Nazi groups.