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Where's Bibi's boy? Israeli soldiers blast Benjamin Netanyahu's son Yair, 32, for 'abandoning' them by staying in Miami while 360,000 reservists are called up to fight against Hamas
By Harriet Alexander For Dailymail.com07:08 BST 24 Oct 2023 , updated 15:11 BST 24 Oct 2023- Benjamin Netanyahu's son Yair, 32, has been based in Miami since at least April
- Israel has called up 360,000 reservists and many living abroad have returned
- It's sparked questions as to why Yair has remained in the US and not joined them
Yair Netanyahu, 32, has been in Florida since at least April, after his father told him to stop making inflammatory posts on social media, which saw him sued for defamation multiple times.
Meanwhile an unprecedented 360,000 reservists have been called up - many of them dropping everything to fly back to Israel, even abandoning honeymoons.
But Yair has remained in Miami, to the irritation of some of the troops. 'Yair is enjoying his life at Miami Beach while I'm on the front lines,' one soldier, a volunteer serving on Israel's northern front, told The Times.
'It's us who are leaving our work, our families, our kids, to protect our families back home and the country, not the people who are responsible for this situation.
'Our brothers, our fathers, sons, are all going to the front line, but Yair is still not here. It does not help build trust in the leadership of the country.'
Netanyahu is pictured sorting donated supplies to IDF soldiers and Israeli families impacted by the Israel-Hamas war, with NGO Yedidim USA, in Fort Lauderdale on October 17
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Yair Netanyahu, 32, is seen with his father in a photo earlier this year. Since at least April, Yair has been living in the United States
Another, deployed to the border with Gaza, said: 'I've flown back from the States where I have a job, a life, my family.
'There is no way I can stay there and abandon my country, my people, at this critical time. Where is the prime minister's son? Why isn't he in Israel?
'It is the most uniting moment for us as Israelis in our recent history and every single one of us should be here right now, including the prime minister's son.'
Yair, who studied theatre at high school, undertook compulsory military service and worked in the spokesman's unit of IDF, rather than as a combat soldier.
Military service is compulsory for the majority of Israelis when they turn 18. Men have to serve 32 months and women 24.
After this, most of them can be called up to reserve units until the age of 40, or even older, in case of national emergency, and they fight alongside the regular troops in times of war.
Reservists are also used in non-combat roles, meaning that Yair's lack of frontline experience would not automatically exempt him.
Israelis abroad are using WhatsApp chats to organize their return, sharing information on where to find available flights, said Yedidya Shalman, 26, who was in Thailand on his honeymoon when the violence exploded out of Gaza.
