Benjamin Netanyahu’s son banned from Facebook in wake of post calling for all Muslims to leave Israel

Yair Netanyahu, the son of Israel’s controversial prime minister, was temporarily blocked from Facebook on Sunday after he published a post criticising the website as the “thought police” and shared previously banned content.

Last week the social media platform deleted a post by Mr Netanyahu in which he said he would “prefer” if “all the Muslims leave the land of Israel”.

The website also deleted a post in which he suggested “avenging the deaths” of two Israeli soldiers who were killed last week by Palestinian gunmen. The 27-year-old used the post to call for the expulsion of Palestinians from Israel.

On Sunday he published screenshots of the deleted posts in violation of Facebook’s community guidelines. Shortly afterwards, he was banned from the website for 24 hours.

In January the Israeli prime minister was forced to defend his son after the younger Netanyahu was recorded making disparaging comments about women and boasting to friends about soliciting prostitutes.

Israeli TV airs audio of Benjamin Netanyahu's son bragging about gas deal

In the recording, broadcast by the Israel Television Channel, the 27-year-old also tells the son of an Israeli gas tycoon that Benjamin Netanyahu helped advance a $20bn (£15bn) deal in parliament which benefited his father.

Both the prime minister and his son issued conciliatory statements after the tape caused uproar in Israel.

Yair Netanyahu has also drawn media criticism in the country for crude social media posts displaying a life of excess.

Facebook had no immediate comment on the 27-year-old’s ban.

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Additional reporting by agencies