A video shared on Instagram allegedly shows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refusing a microphone from a United Arab Emirates (UAE) official due to a belief that Arabs are “unclean.”  

Facebook/Screenshot

Verdict: False

The video has been taken out of context. It was taken in November 2020 during the pandemic, and Netanyahu beckons someone to bring him hand sanitizer before picking up the mic.  

Fact Check:

Netanyahu rejected the idea of any “unilateral” recognition of a Palestinian state, 99 of 120 Israeli lawmakers voting in support of him, according to Al Jazeera. The last time Palestinian statehood talks were held was in 2014, the outlet reported.

An Instagram video purportedly shows Netanyahu refusing a microphone from an Arab due to prejudice. The video shows Netanyahu being offered a microphone, which he does not initially take. He can then be seen rubbing his hands together and making a beckoning hand motion.

“Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refuses to take a microphone from a UAE official and calls his aid to bring him hand sanitizers which suggests that they are unclean which in Arab and Islamic culture,” the caption reads. It also adds that Netanyahu possibly feared there was “an explosive in the mic.”

The video lacks context. It is not recent, but instead was posted to X by Netanyahu’s official account in November 2020, during the height of the pandemic. Netanyahu is seen commemorating the first commercial flight from Dubai to Israel, according to the caption. Netanyahu makes a beckoning hand motion to someone off-camera, who gives him hand sanitizer. He rubs his hands together before he grabs the microphone. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at the welcoming ceremony for the first Flydubai commercial flight from Dubai at Ben Gurion Airport:
“This is the first commercial flight from Dubai to Israel. It is a historic flight”

Full remarks >>https://t.co/E6GSqNnQtO pic.twitter.com/5y0KTSQ7R8

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) November 26, 2020

A full video posted on YouTube shows more preventative measures being taken. Around the 12:05 timestamp, Netanyahu, among several other men, can be seen entering while wearing masks. Rather than shaking hands, Netanyahu can be seen bumping elbows with people.

Check Your Fact has contacted a spokesperson for Netanyahu for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.