Baratz steps down as PM’s media adviser

Ran Baratz, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial media adviser, will be stepping down, he announced on Monday.

Baratz wrote on his Facebook page that he asked Netanyahu to leave his post a month-anda-half ago, but that Netanyahu asked him to stay to complete a number of projects he had started.

The reason for his departure, Baratz said, is “I am far from fulfilling my potential in the capacity of a spokesman, and I believe I have different advantages that can be expressed through other work.”

Baratz denied rumors that his leaving has to do with poor relations with Netanyahu.

Baratz took up his position last summer, following a great deal of controversy over his appointment. His appointment was held up for months after it became known that he referred to US president Barack Obama’s angry response to Netanyahu’s speech to Congress in 2015 as “modern antisemitism,” and wrote that US secretary of state John Kerry’s mental age does not exceed that of a 12-year-old child.

He also wrote denigrating Facebook posts about President Reuven Rivlin.

The 42-year-old resident of Kfar Adumim has a doctorate in philosophy from the Hebrew University, served in Air Force intelligence and has a background in hi-tech.

He was previously best known for sharp-tongued commentary on Israeli politicians, diplomats and current events on his Facebook page and in the column he wrote for the online Hebrew-language journal MIDA, which he founded.