Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted what he claimed was his personal phone number on Sunday, inviting Israelis to reach out directly with their questions and concerns.
The election-season maneuver triggered an overwhelming response; within minutes, the associated WhatsApp account was blocked due to traffic volume, and callers encountered busy signals.
The move also fueled suspicions that the initiative was a tactic to harvest voter data.
In a video shared on social media, Netanyahu appears alongside longtime adviser Topaz Luk, who asks permission to publish the number. Netanyahu initially reacts with disbelief—“Topaz, have you gone crazy?”—before consenting.
“I want to hear from you—your suggestions, your questions, your problems. Leave me a message,” Netanyahu said, acknowledging he could not reply to everyone but pledging to respond to as many as possible.
Hundreds of messages and calls flooded in within minutes, prompting the WhatsApp account’s suspension. Luk later posted on X that the account was disabled due to the volume and that Netanyahu’s team was working to restore it, directing users to Telegram in the interim.
Concerns Raised Over Voter Data Collection
Kan political correspondent Michael Shemesh questioned whether the number genuinely belonged to Netanyahu, suggesting on X that the exercise was “probably designed to harvest the phone numbers of potential voters.”
Online observers noted a detail casting doubt on the phone’s authenticity: a WhatsApp group visible in Luk’s video, titled “Menachem’s House Main Shul Updates,” displayed a recent message endorsing political rival Naftali Bennett, the former prime minister now leading the Beyachad party.
“Something tells me Bibi isn’t signed up for the ‘Menachem’s House Main Shul Updates’ group,” one X user wrote, “especially not when the latest message reads, ‘Yalla, it’s time for Bennett.’”
The Likud spokesperson had not responded to a request for comment on the allegations by the time of publication.
Netanyahu’s History of Sharing Contact Information
This is not the first time Netanyahu has publicized a personal number during a campaign. In August 2022, roughly two months before the election that returned him to power, the then-opposition leader shared a different number and invited Israelis to video call him.
“Why should only some people have my phone number? Everyone should have it,” Netanyahu said at the time, quipping that the move was a “dramatic, world-changing decision.” He indicated that supporters who proved they had joined his Telegram channel would have a better chance of receiving a video call.
The response was similarly intense; Likud reported Netanyahu received 9,420 calls in the first 30 minutes, and follow-up videos showed the device inundated with calls and messages.
Rivals mocked the stunt. Then-Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman released a parody video claiming Netanyahu “has not picked up the phone in 12 years,” while Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party dismissed it as a “fictional phone operated by Netanyahu’s aides.”
Netanyahu Faces Uphill Reelection Battle
The episode unfolds as Netanyahu navigates a challenging reelection bid, with roughly 20% of voters undecided—many of them disillusioned Likud supporters—according to pollsters and researchers cited by Reuters.
A Channel 13 poll released earlier this month placed Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party at 23 seats, ahead of Likud’s 21, projecting Netanyahu’s current coalition to secure only 49 of the Knesset’s 120 seats. Eisenkot also led Netanyahu 47% to 34% on the question of who is better suited to serve as prime minister.
The phone-number appeal marks the latest in a series of efforts to place Netanyahu directly before voters, including a blitz of highly publicized appearances. Last week, he visited a restaurant in Hadera, a Likud stronghold, where owner Simo Shtivi likened his arrival to “hoisting the World Cup,” as diners lined up for photos and a chance to speak with him.
Netanyahu also made a surprise appearance with his wife, Sara, at a concert by Israeli pop star Eden Ben Zaken. Days earlier, he filmed a campaign video at Jerusalem’s Malha Mall interacting with shoppers, including children; the Central Elections Committee subsequently ordered its removal, citing laws prohibiting the use of minors in campaign propaganda.
Likud also launched billboards depicting New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani alongside the leaders of Iran, Turkey, and Hezbollah under the slogan: “They want Netanyahu to lose. Don’t let them win.”
