Unknown Egyptian Twitter User Impersonates IDF Chief Rabbi
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by Benjamin Kerstein
A fake Twitter account claiming to belong to IDF Chief Rabbi Eyal Karim. Photo: Twitter screenshot.
A top Israeli diplomat revealed on Wednesday that a Twitter account apparently originating in Egypt was impersonating the IDF chief rabbi.
Elad Ratson, the director of research & development and special envoy for digital diplomacy at the Israeli Foreign Ministry, tweeted on Tuesday, “FAKE ALERT @rabbieyalkarim is impersonating @IDF Chief Rabbi!”
The tweet appeared over an image of the fake profile under the name @RabbiEyalKarim, describing the owner as “Israeli Army Chief Rabbi, Brigadier General Eyal Karim.” Karim became IDF chief rabbi in 2016. He does not appear to have a Twitter account.
FAKE ALERT⚠️ @rabbieyalkarim is impersonating @IDF Chief Rabbi! A week ago, same Twitter ID presented this bio:
ID: 1038300121967063040
name: Kamel Kamel
handle: Youm7Kamel
location: Cairo, Egypt
bio: Vice-President of the Political Section نائب رئيس القسم السیاسي باليوم السابع pic.twitter.com/7xYRnNYtBt— 𝐄𝐥𝐚𝐝 𝐑𝐚𝐝𝐬𝐨𝐧 (@EladRadson) December 11, 2018
The fake account appears to be of Egyptian origin. “A week ago, same Twitter ID presented this bio,” wrote Ratson,
ID: 1038300121967063040
name: Kamel Kamel
handle: Youm7Kamel
location: Cairo, Egypt
bio: Vice-President of the Political Section
The motive for the fake account remains unclear.
Journalist Lahav Harkov of The Jerusalem Post referred to similar incidents, writing, “More fake twitter activity around Israeli figures. This supposed account for IDF Rabbi Eyal Karim? Up until a week ago it was someone named Kamel and registered to Cairo.”
More fake twitter activity around Israeli figures. This supposed account for IDF Rabbi Eyal Karim? Up until a week ago it was someone named Kamel and registered to Cairo. (Fixed mistake and deleted earlier tweet.) pic.twitter.com/nAFC1kYOrw
— Lahav Harkov 🎗️ (@LahavHarkov) December 11, 2018
