The Israeli military is facing backlash after introducing its Tik Tok account with a bomb joke

ischer@businessinsider.com (Isaac Scher)
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Twitter/IDF

  • The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) tweeted about their new Tik Tok with a bomb joke.

  • Some social media users praised the tweet while others criticized it as tone-deaf.

  • The IDF is known for its inflammatory social media presence, which regularly prompts outrage.

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The Israeli military is facing blowback on Twitter after introducing its new Tik Tok account with the tweet, "Tik Tok Tik Tok Tik Tok BOOM".

 

 

Some users praised the tweet, which was paired with a Tik Tok video of an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier firing his rifle at a gun range. One reply approved of the tweet and the military's social media presence generally, saying it was a lure for "antisemites [who] need blocking".

 

Another posted a meme with Israeli fighter jets and a caption saying, "JEWS: Not so easy to f--- with anymore."

But the majority of replies were critical of the IDF's choice.

One user, who described themselves as Jewish in their Twitter bio, decried the bomb-joke tweet.

 

 

"Did you hit the journalist you were aiming at?" asked one user, referring to recent United Nations findings that the IDF fatally shot two Palestinian journalists in 2018.

Another said, "Gonna post an epic war crime," refering to a recently launched investigation by the International Criminal Court into alleged crimes committed in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

 

This is not the first time the Israeli military's social media presence has prompted negative reactions or criticism from users.

In 2019, the account posted a tweet implying that all Iranian children are terrorists, prompting widespread criticism and calls for Twitter administrators to remove the tweet.

 

The IDF's social media office had previously been criticized for what the Jerusalem Post referred to as "social media misfires." The newspaper cited a 2019 tweet employing the hashtag #JiHadEnough to mark the assassination of Baha Abu Al Ata. 

The team seems to be aware of its reputation for snark. In March 2019, the social media office dressed up as "trolls" for Purim.

 

In a 2019 interview, IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus told the Jewish Telegraph Agency that its social media team welcomed debate, and said its goal was to "be active and engaging," acknowledging "sometimes you do that through controversy."

When reached for comment, a spokesperson for the IDF said, "The purpose of the tweet was to update the IDF's followers on social media that the IDF is opening an account on TikTok. The tweet fulfilled that purpose."

 

Read the original article on Insider