Protest outside the hotel in the Golan where the Netanyahus are staying
(Video: Efi Sharir, Amir Shoshani)
"A hotel that supports a dictatorship. It's better to stay away." "A great hotel, protecting democracy" - the review pages for the Panda Hotel in the Golan on Google has become in the last two days a battleground between the opponents and supporters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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Netanyahu and his wife Sara are ending their vacation in Neve Ativ on Wednesday, but it seems that the peaceful boutique hotel has suffered damage to its image which already amounts to a drop in its rating on Google from 4.8 out of 5 to 4.5.
The Netanyahus and the security forces that accompanied them rented about half of the rooms in the hotel, which has about 43 suites for a two-night getaway. Prior to their arrival at the hotel on Monday, police forces and the Shin Bet set up many roadblocks in the area and prevented the families and guests of the residents of the Neve Ativ moshav from entering for fear that they would demonstrate there against the judicial reform led by Netanyahu.
At the same time, hundreds of protesters against the judicial overhaul traveled up north and promised a noisy "night of cheering" that would prevent the prime minister and his wife from sleeping. After they were not allowed to enter the moshav, representatives of the protesters submitted a petition to the High Court, after which the police on Tuesday allowed several hundred protesters to enter and demonstrate 300 meters away from the hotel.
At the same time as the protest in the field, protest activity also developed online. Panda's hotel review page on Google has become the main arena. Over the course of a day, hundreds of comments were added to the page - some also in English - attacking the hotel's management for hosting the prime minister.
For example, a commenter named Yoel gave the hotel a rating of 1 out of 5: "Noisy, hosts people who destroy Israeli democracy to escape the threat of judgment." An anonymous commenter named MS wrote: "A hotel that supports a dictatorship. It's better to stay away." Another commenter named Gad wrote: "A wonderful hotel for hosting dictators. If you are a leader who hates your people. Here you will find peace far away and disconnected from your subjects."
The hotel's Facebook page also wse a target and the comments page began to fill up with negative comments. For example, one of the respondents wrote: "A hotel with potential, a beautiful view, but... hosting dictators... shame!"
Some of the comments on Google and Facebook were written in English in order to cause damage to the hotel with vacationers from abroad. For example, one of the commenters wrote on the hotel's Facebook page: "A hotel that hosts a dictator, a fugitive criminal who ruins the lives of millions does not deserve to be visited."
On the other hand, people who support the prime minister started posting positive comments about the hotel to curb the onslaught by protesters.
For example, a commenter by the name of Yair wrote on Google: "A perfect hotel that serves a legitimate prime minister in the face of the anti-democrats."