WATCH: Bystander throws pepper at Netanyahu during campaign stop
The red pepper does not appear to have reached Netanyahu
Video footage shows the moment a bystander threw a red pepper in the direction of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a campaign stop at a market in Tel Aviv.
The video, which was widely circulated online, shows a young woman hurling a red pepper towards Netanyahu during his visit of Hatikva Market ahead of the Knesset election next Tuesday.
The red pepper does not appear to have reached Netanyahu, who was surrounded by Israeli police and security guards.
Earlier reports of the incident claimed the vegetable was a tomato, but the woman later told the Times of Israel she had thrown a pepper instead.
Benny Gantz “strongly condemned the throwing of tomatoes at Benjamin Netanyahu”, adding: “Israel needs unity – not violence.”
The bystander, who was identified as an 18-year-old resident of Hatikvah, was briefly detained and released after investigators concluded the act was not politically motivated, the Times of Israel reported.
The young woman denied reports she was trying to hit Netanyahu, telling the Times of Israel she had been aiming at a relative on the other side of the market.
“We all support Bibi and I did not mean to hurt him, I’m sorry for everything that happened,” the woman told the newspaper.
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