Prime Minister Netanyahu responded today to rumors that Israel had been behind the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
"Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda minister, once said that the bigger the lie, the faster it spreads. Someone has fabricated a monstrous big lie that Israel had something to do with Charlie Kirk's horrific murder," he began.
"This is insane. It is false. It is outrageous," Netanyahu declared. Charlie Kirk was a giant, a once-in-a-century talent who defended freedom, defended America, defended our common Judeo-Christian civilization."
"Charlie loved Israel. He loved the Jewish people. He told me so in a letter he sent me just a few months ago. 'One of my greatest joys as a Christian,' he said, 'is advocating for Israel and forming alliances with Jews to protect Judeo-Christian civilization.'"
"He encouraged me to make the case directly to the American people about how vital Israel is to American national security. He told me that 'The Holy Land is so important to my life that it pains me to see support for Israel slip away.'"
Netanyahu emphasized that Kirk's friendship was not blind trust either. "If Charlie disagreed with a policy of mine or a decision here or there, I welcomed it. This is the essence of Charlie, the essence of a free country. It's exactly what Charlie stood for. I knew that his suggestions always came from the heart - from his love for Israel and his love for the Jewish people."
"A few weeks before his death, I spoke to Charlie and invited him to visit Israel again. Sadly, that won't happen. Now, some are peddling these disgusting rumors, perhaps out of obsession, perhaps with Qatari funding. What I do know is this - Charlie Kirk was a great man, and a great man deserves honor, not lies."
Netanyahu concluded, "Rest in peace, Charlie Kirk. May your memory be a blessing."
US ambassador Mike Huckabee added on Tiwtter: "It’s painful to see people back in the US attempt to get clicks & make $$ by making up outrageous lies while exploiting the death of Charlie Kirk whose impact & character the propagandists will never have."