Israeli newspaper reports that Dobronsky, an Israeli-American businessman, also wrote that Gaza ‘must be destroyed to the ground.’ He later apologized to Trump, saying, ‘I lost my temper’
By Michael Hauser Tov, reposted from Haaretz, August 10, 2026
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday selected Oren Dobronsky as his first reserved candidate on the Likud’s Knesset slate. Dobronsky called U.S. President Donald Trump a “morally corrupt piece of shit” after Trump reached a cease-fire agreement with Iran in June, and previously called for Gaza to be completely destroyed.
Dobronsky is an Israeli-American businessman and high-tech investor who founded a hummus restaurant chain in California and appeared on the Israeli version of “Shark Tank.”
After Trump announced a cease-fire with Iran in June, Dobronsky joined a chorus of Netanyahu supporters who harshly criticized the U.S. president.
On X, Netanyahu’s new candidate asked of Trump, “What kind of morally corrupt piece of shit treats an ally like that?” while lamenting that Trump had sidelined Israel throughout the agreement process. “Why would anyone remain America’s ally if that’s how you treat allies?” he asked.
After his candidacy was announced on Monday, Dobronsky apologized on Facebook and said, “I lost my temper and posted something I regret. My apologies to President Trump, whom I admire deerly [sic].”
In the days after the October 7 attack, Dobronsky wrote on Facebook that merely toppling Hamas was no longer enough: “The goal now should not be to topple Hamas’ rule in Gaza – it’s too late for that. That should have been the objective in previous rounds. Unfortunately, at this point, Gaza must be destroyed to the ground.”
He added: “Jordan, Egypt or anyone else who wants to save Gazans’ lives should be given a limited amount of time to take them into their countries. But once that deadline passes, not even a cat should be left alive in Gaza.”
“After that, everything should be flattened with bulldozers until it is nothing more than one enormous, level, cleared parking lot. For one reason alone: ‘deterrence.’ It will be the most famous parking lot in the world – for a hundred generations to come. A hundred generations. Think about that.”
Two weeks ago, the Likud convention overwhelmingly approved granting Netanyahu eight reserved spots on the party’s Knesset slate.
“Oren is a successful businessman and one of the pioneers of Israel’s high-tech industry,” Likud said in a statement. “He will lead efforts on artificial intelligence in the economy, education, healthcare and finance.”
Michael Hauser Tov has been the Chief Political Correspondent at Haaretz newspaper since 2021, the youngest person to hold this position. Based in Tel Aviv, he covers Israeli politics for both the Hebrew and English editions
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