Jewish Breaking NewsNetanyahu Gives Out ‘Personal’ Phone Number And WhatsApp Is Flooded Within Minutes
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took an unusual approach to connecting directly with voters this week, publicly releasing what he described as his personal phone number and telling Israelis: If you have something to say, call the prime minister.
The move came in a campaign video featuring Netanyahu alongside longtime adviser Topaz Luk.
In the clip, Luk asks Netanyahu whether he can publish his phone number. Netanyahu initially appears stunned.
“Topaz, have you gone crazy?” Netanyahu responds, before giving him the green light.
“I want to hear from you — your suggestions, your questions, your problems,” Netanyahu tells viewers. “Leave me a message.”
Netanyahu acknowledged there was no chance he could personally respond to everyone, but promised to answer as many people as possible.
Israelis apparently took him seriously.
Within minutes, hundreds of messages and calls reportedly poured into the number, overwhelming the WhatsApp account connected to it. Luk later announced that WhatsApp had blocked the account amid the flood of incoming traffic and said the team was working to restore access.
Was It Really Bibi’s Phone?
The campaign stunt quickly generated another question: Was this actually Netanyahu’s personal cellphone?
Critics suggested the number may instead be operated by campaign staff, with some questioning whether the initiative could also provide Netanyahu’s campaign with contact information for potential voters. No evidence has emerged establishing that the campaign improperly collected or used voter data.
Social media users also spotted an amusing detail in footage showing the phone: a WhatsApp group visible on the device reportedly contained a message supportive of Netanyahu rival and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
That fueled further skepticism that Israelis had suddenly been handed the prime minister’s everyday cellphone number.
Netanyahu Has Done This Before
This isn’t Netanyahu’s first election-season experiment with giving voters a direct line.
During the 2022 election campaign, Netanyahu similarly released a number and encouraged Israelis to contact him. Likud said at the time that a staggering 9,420 calls arrived within the first 30 minutes.
Political opponents mocked that effort, arguing that the phone was effectively another campaign tool rather than Netanyahu’s private device.
Bibi Takes The Campaign Directly To Voters
The latest phone stunt comes as Israel moves deeper into its 2026 election campaign and Netanyahu ramps up efforts to personally engage voters.
Netanyahu has recently appeared at restaurants, shopping centers and entertainment events as part of a highly visible public outreach push. One campaign video showing Netanyahu interacting with children at Jerusalem’s Malha Mall ran into trouble with Israel’s Central Elections Committee, which ordered footage involving children removed over restrictions governing the use of minors in election propaganda.
Whether Israelis were actually calling the phone sitting in Netanyahu’s pocket or a carefully managed campaign line, one thing became clear almost immediately:
When the prime minister tells an entire country to give him a call, Israelis apparently don’t need to be asked twice.