Image by getty images

A new report from the research firm Twiplomacy found that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s most retweeted tweet ever lauded President Trump’s plan to build a wall on the Mexican border.

“President Trump is right. I built a wall along Israel’s southern border. It stopped all illegal immigration. Great success. Great idea,” Netanyahu wrote, evoking comparisons to Trump with his short sentences and laudatory language.

President Trump is right. I built a wall along Israel’s southern border. It stopped all illegal immigration. Great success. Great idea ????

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) January 28, 2017

The tweet garnered almost 54,000 retweets.

Netanyahu’s son Yair reportedly pressured his father to tweet the praise in support of Trump despite opposition from senior advisors.

The tweet resulted Mexico demanding a formal apology from Netanyahu and in Israel’s ambassador to Mexico being summoned to a formal meeting of complaint with the Mexican foreign minister.

The Prime Minister’s office and Israel’s Foreign Ministry released a statement clarifying the tweet, writing that Netanyahu “was addressing Israel’s unique circumstances and the important experience we have and which we are willing to share with other nations. There was no attempt to voice an opinion regarding U.S.-Mexico ties.”

Juliana Kaplan is a news intern at The Forward. Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter, @julianamkaplan

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount