University relationships sometimes never last longer than university, but that hasn’t stopped the hook-up between the son of Israeli PM Yair Netanyahu, 23, and his fellow student Norwegian Sandra Leikanger, 25, stirring up all sorts of political dissent. Because she’s not Jewish.
At first, Yair’s dad, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, seemed pretty cool with the relationship, which is said to have started last summer. He told his Norwegian counterpart Erna Solberg about the relationship while at the World Economic Forum in Davos last week – apparently saying it signified a ‘new friendship’ being cemented between their two countries. (No pressure, Sandra.)
However, since then Mr Netanyhu has reportedly denied that the two are in a relationship. And the reason for this u-turn? Some key people in Israeli politics aren't happy. First up, the leader of the ultra-Orthodox political party Shas is disappointed because Yair’s dating outside of the Jewish community. Aryeh Deri told a local radio showthat the relationship symbolises an ‘assimilation’, which goes against what him and his party believe in. ‘I know friends of mine who invest tens of millions and more, hundreds of millions to fight assimilation in the world. If God forbid it's true, woe to us.’
Another member of Shas is equally alarmed – and thinks Yair’s dad should be, too. ‘It’s a big problem… I bet it pains [Netanyahu]. Any Jew who wants to maintain his roots wants to see his son marry a Jewish girl. There is no shortage of beautiful, successful girls without sowing the fields of others.’
Even Netanyahu's brother-in-law has demanded that he break up the relationship, like he's King Trident off The Little Mermaid){href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Mermaid_(1989_film)' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'}and his nephew is Ariel, trying to marry a landlubber, or something. ‘Yair should know that if he does such a thing, if he doesn’t break offthe relationship, then… he is spitting on the graves of his grandmother and grandfather who loved him so much and raised him.’
Wow. We don’t know about you, but we get a feeling that describing sex as ‘sowing seeds’, telling people that their relationships should have anything to do with their grandparents and admitting that you know people who pump money into promoting racial purity is a whole load more reprehensible than going out with a pretty Norwegian girl you met in lectures. Just us?
Follow Sophie Wilkinson on Twitter @sophwilkinson
Picture: Getty
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.