The video that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted on Sunday, in which he addresses rumors about his health, has garnered over 60 million views on X alone.
However, the real star of the video was not Netanyahu, but rather the barista behind the counter at the Sataf coffee house in Jerusalem, where the video was filmed. Many social media users were impressed by her and said that her smile reflects the "beautiful Israeli" and contributes to Israeli public diplomacy.
In the video, the Prime Minister is seen at the coffee shop purchasing a cup of joe and is asked directly about the rumors: "On the internet they're saying you're dead." The Prime Minister answered humourously, using the term "dead" as the Israeli slang for in-love: "I'm dead for coffee, for my people. They behave fantastically." Netanyahu even lifted his hands to the camera and said sarcastically, "Want to count my fingers?" referring to the conspiracy theories' main "proof."
Right-wing activist Berale Crombie commented on the buzz surrounding the barista, writing: “It teaches us a lot about the world of social media, but above all about how a single picture can change reality today."
“The message here is simple," Crombie explained. “When we are joyful, happy, and smiling during wartime, and project that we are continuing to live our lives and that no cruel enemy will defeat us or extinguish our joy - that is a powerful message conveyed in a single frame, and it is the greatest victory possible. The whole world falls in love with us."
“So I do not know who you are, the young woman working at the café who became a global celebrity today thanks to one frame," he concluded, “but your smile, which is capturing the hearts of millions of people around the world at this moment, is the best service to the State of Israel."