Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed online claims that Israel was in some way linked to Charlie Kirk’s murder as a “monstrous, big lie.”
Kirk was shot dead at Utah Valley University on 10 September and suspect Tyler Robinson has been charged with his murder. But ever since his death, liberals and conservatives across the U.S. have pointed the blame at each other with accusations over who is responsible.
This has led to baseless conspiracy theories, including claims that Israeli foreign intelligence service Mossad, a MAGA loyalist, or a member of the ultra-right-wing Christian white nationalist “Groypers” were behind the murder.
“Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda minister, said that the bigger the lie, the faster it will spread,” Netanyahu said in a video on X.
“Somebody has fabricated a monstrous big lie, that Israel had something to do with Charlie Kirk’s horrific murder,.
“This is insane, it is false, it is outrageous. 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 that he sent me just a few months ago.”
Netanyahu’s response comes after MAGA commentators have claimed Kirk was privately far more critical of Netanyahu’s Israeli government than he let on publicly.
Israel is facing a growing crisis of public support as the war on Gaza intensifies, and MAGA commentators have become more openly critical of its tactics.
Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson said on his show this week that Kirk “did not like Bibi Netanyahu”, claiming he was a “destructive force” and was “appalled” by what was happening in Gaza.
Netanyahu posted a tribute to the right wing influencer after Kirk was killed, claiming he was “murdered for speaking truth and defending freedom”.
“A lion-hearted friend of Israel, he fought the lies and stood tall for Judeo-Christian civilization,” the prime minister wrote on X last week. “I spoke to him only two weeks ago and invited him to Israel. Sadly, that visit will not take place. We lost an incredible human being.
“His boundless pride in America and his valiant belief in free speech will leave a lasting impact. Rest in peace, Charlie Kirk.”
