Netanyahu Gifts Fetterman a Silver-Plated Beeper After Praising Israel's Lebanon Pager Operation

In an unexpected but undeniably quirky moment of diplomacy, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented Senator John Fetterman, D-Penn., with a silver-plated beeper during a recent meeting in Jerusalem. The unusual gift came after Fetterman praised an Israeli intelligence operation that had used pagers to outwit Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

Fetterman, who has been a vocal supporter of Israel despite growing criticism from within his own Democratic Party, has made his stance clear against Hamas and its hostage-taking tactics. "Hamas does not want peace. I unapologetically, 100% stand with Israel, and demand the release of all remaining hostages," Fetterman wrote on social media platform X, while visiting Israel this week.

During the meeting, Fetterman gave Netanyahu a framed newspaper article commemorating the late Yoni Netanyahu, the Prime Minister’s older brother. Yoni, a revered figure in Israeli history, was killed during the 1976 Entebbe raid, a daring operation to rescue hostages held by Palestinian and German terrorists in Uganda.

Netanyahu, in return, handed over the silver-plated beeper with a touch of humor. "What can I give a man who has everything? How about giving him a beeper?" Netanyahu quipped. "This is a silver-plated beeper. The real beeper is, like, one-tenth the weight. It’s nothing, but it changes history."

The beeper was a nod to Israel's covert operation in September 2024, where the country strategically detonated pagers used by Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon, leading to significant casualties among the group's ranks. Fetterman’s admiration for the operation was evident. "When that story broke, I was like, ‘Oh, I love it, I love it.’ And now, it’s like, thank you for this," he said, clearly amused by the symbolic gesture.

The operation was part of a broader Israeli campaign that ultimately led to the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, followed by a ground invasion of Lebanon. The conflict culminated in a ceasefire in late November 2024.

This is not Netanyahu's first instance of pager diplomacy. Back in February, he reportedly gifted a gold-plated pager to former U.S. President Donald Trump, further cementing the pager's odd place in Israel's symbolic arsenal.