Prime Minister Netanyahu Tweeting in Arabic Since Mid-December

Proving once again the potentially vital role played by social media in world politics and public relations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who opened an Arabic Twitter account in mid-December, has already garnered approximately 700 new followers from Egypt, Iraq and Lebanon.

PM Netanyahu, who already opened a YouTube and Facebook account this summer, realizing the power of Twitter, is using the social media service to engage with Arabs, and answer their questions regarding Israel’s policies.

“The aim of this account is to deepen the dialogue with you,” PM Netanyahu wrote in Arabic on December 14th, which was then followed up with, "Greetings from Jerusalem," and seasonal wishes from the Holy Land for those celebrating Christmas.

“Social media channels today are vital to Israeli public relations, government transparency and keeping the public informed,” read a statement by the prime minister’s bureau earlier this year.

According to a recent study, almost two-thirds of world leaders have accounts on Twitter, with almost half of those managed by the leaders themselves. The study also revealed that combined, the 264 Twitter accounts belonging to leaders from 125 countries, have approximately 52 million followers.

Not surprisingly, US President Barack Obama, the first world leader to sign up to Twitter, has the most followers with more than 17 million.