Israel election: Ben Gvir recruits far-right influencer

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has recruited far-right influencer Mordechai David to his campaign team before Israel's October 27 election.

David, 27, is known for filming and publicly berating left-wingers and others he considers unpatriotic, then posting the videos online for about 150,000 followers. On a recent day, he livestreamed dozens of demonstrators outside the home of the parents of Rachel Szor, who co-directed the documentary “NAZA”, which criticises Israel's conduct in the Gaza war.

David told AFP that social media can be stronger than television and said some of his recent videos had more than one million views.

Achiya Schatz, founder of the research group Fake Reporter, said David reflects the level of polarization in Israeli society and the way belligerence has been normalized. David has faced repeated complaints that his clips amount to harassment.

In September, David tried to organise a gender-segregated prayer session in Tel Aviv's Dizengoff Square, where city rules forbid gender segregation in public places. After police removed barriers and a brief commotion followed, David posted edited footage that gave the impression of a larger confrontation, Schatz said.