Since the evening of 15 September, a short clip of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been circulating in which he claims that anyone with a cell phone “owns a piece of Israel.” The clip quickly became a shortcut meme and, of course, caused a lot of eyes to roll. As a matter of fact, not long ago, if someone had said that Israel, or the Jews, control technology, medicine and food, as Netanyahu proudly implied, they would have been accused of antisemitism and perhaps even banned from social media.
But let us pause. To understand a word or a claim correctly, we need to look at the text and the context. The short clip has circulated widely, but few have analysed it carefully within its full text and context.
The context
The full video lasts 18:11 and is available on the Israeli prime minister’s YouTube page. It was part of a welcome address to delegations attending the “50 States, One Israel” conference, held in the occupied territory between September 14 and 18. The audience included more than 250 American state legislators, along with members of the Israeli government. In fact, the conference was described as the largest delegation of U.S. elected officials ever to visit Israel.
Why does this context matter? Contrary to what many viewers of the short clip assumed, Netanyahu was not issuing a threat in the ordinary sense when he said, “Do you have cell phones here? You’re holding a piece of Israel right there.” He was making a different point: he was telling U.S. legislators how their country is weak without Israel and why they should cooperate with it. It is noteworthy that before Netanyahu’s speech that day, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar urged American lawmakers to pass anti-BDS laws in their states.
One might wonder what Donald Trump would have said if another country’s prime minister had addressed his delegates in the same way. But Trump could not simply retaliate with his usual cries or tariffs, because Netanyahu’s point, rightly said, was that Israel, or Zionists if you prefer that term, exercises significant influence over U.S. politics and economy. And that’s the point of the occasion, 50 States, One Israel!
The text
Now, let us reflect on the text itself, on the phrase that is everywhere: are our phones really a piece of the Zionist state? If it were only the phone, perhaps our lives would be easier to bear. But many of the software platforms we use are tied to companies that have direct or indirect links with Zionist projects. We may encounter hardware everywhere, yet the operating systems and major platforms—Google, Microsoft, Apple—shape our digital experience. Not to mention Intel, the seemingly American company that produces most of the chips in our computers. In reality, Intel is Israel’s largest private employer and its biggest high-tech exporter.
Does Israel produce our food and medicine? Look at any full boycott list and you will find many consumables produced by companies with Zionist ties. Netanyahu’s remark that they “produce the cherry tomatoes” is a shorthand for the fact that multinational agritech and GMO corporations, those that dominate food markets, often have connections with Israeli firms and research.
How did we reach this point? We trust our enemies more readily than we should. We often fail to recognise who our real adversaries are; they deceive us as much as colonisers did a century ago. When we try to create alternatives, the propaganda machines mobilise against us: they claim our products are of low quality and persuade us not to trust our own brothers, but to trust them instead.
His Speech in the Context of Current Affairs
Netanyahu certainly seemed to feel the loss of support—especially the unprecedented and overwhelming publicity blow. According to TRT, Israel has spent $50 million on deals with social media platforms, not to mention the amounts paid to influencers. Feeling the heat, he pointed to scapegoats for their PR defeat: Qatar, and of course, China—to alarm his American visitors. He also criticised Western Europe repeatedly, warning of an “Islamist invasion.” Yet his references to Europe cannot be read in isolation from recent events: anti-immigration protests in the UK and the collapse of the government in France.
Yet Netanyahu smiled and showed confidence that support would be regained. He knows, or believes, that Zionist networks have captured consumer culture; people will not easily give up the comforts of modern consumption, which they control. His speech revealed both a sense of defeat—acknowledging waning support—and a confidence rooted in the many “trump cards” they possess: influence over what we eat, what we drink, how we communicate and how information flows.
Reflection
But perhaps Israel is more than our phones and fruits; it has penetrated our diplomacy, our governance, our schools and our curricula. This becomes evident when we run Eurocentric systems without innovation, when we rely on manuals and models supplied by powerful external actors rather than developing locally rooted ideas.
We must wake up and stand firm in this struggle: it is multi-dimensional, and we cannot hope to fight if our enemy feeds us and clothes us. Have you forgotten the advice at Badr? Hubab b. al-Mundhir advised changing the army’s position so that the water source remained with the Muslims, because the enemy will never willingly give you water. The Zionists are our adversaries; we should recognise them as such and act accordingly.
*The views expressed in this content are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of İdrakpost.
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