Far-left and anti-Israel activist Shaun King has come under fire after the family of two American women who were held hostage by Hamas called him out for lying.
Following the Hamas terror attack on Israel on Oct 7, Judith and Natalie Raanan (mother and her daughter), residents of Evanston, Illinois, located outside of Chicago, were taken hostage by the terror group. The two women were in Israel to celebrate the Jewish holiday season when Hamas took them.
According to The Jerusalem Post, King claimed that Natalie was a fan of his and that he was working to get the mother-and-daughter pair freed. King also claimed that he can “confidentially help broker her return.”
“This is Natalie Raanan. She’s a teenager and is believed to have been taken hostage near Gaza border this weekend, “ King wrote on Instagram. “She’s an American citizen and just graduated high school in Illinois earlier this year. Her dear family has asked that I help them find her and bring her to safety. Natalie and her family are supporters of mine, protested against police brutality in the United States with me, and have spoken out against injustice in Israel.”
Here is a statement released from the Ranaan family. @shaunking tried to use one of the Hamas hostages to grift his followers and gain some clout. In my opinion, when he posted that he knew Natalie Ranaan, he thought there would be a 0% chance she would ever be released, Shaun… pic.twitter.com/WSiyz8G4jd
— The Misfit Patriot (@_misfitpatriot_) October 21, 2023
Following the two women’s release on Friday, King sought to take credit for their freedom, stating that he and others worked behind the scenes to get them released.
“As I said last week, Natalie and her family have been supporters of mine and protested police violence in America alongside us,” Natali said. “I am also thankful for the Qatari government for helping to negotiate this. Dozens of us worked frantically behind the scenes to help make this possible. I spoke to Natalie’s family this afternoon and they are anxiously awaiting more updates.”
Shaun King bizarrely takes credit for being involved in releasing the US/Israeli hostages Natalie and Yehudit Raanan.
This is the family's response:
Today we came across bizarre posts on the Instagram page of one, Shaun King, who turns out to have millions of followers, who…
— The Mossad: Satirical, Yet Awesome (@TheMossadIL) October 21, 2023
However, Raanans have hit back at King’s claim while adding that they have no idea who the activist is.
Here is the full, translated statement from the Raanan family in response to Shaun King’s bizarre claim that he played a part in getting Judith and Natalie Raanan released by Hamas:
"Today we came across bizarre posts on the Instagram page of one Shaun King, who turns out to…
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) October 21, 2023
“Today we came across bizarre posts on the Instagram page of one Shaun King, who turns out to have millions of followers, who claims that our relative Natalie Raanan supports the anti-Israeli messages he uploads to his page,” the family statement began. “First and foremost, we make it clear that he is lying! Our family does not and did not have anything to do with him, neither directly nor indirectly. Not to him and not to anything he claims to represent. Natalie told us that this morning it was the first time in her life that she came across Shaun King’s name and his posts, after she finally got a phone call after two horrific weeks in captivity in Gaza, and was looking for what was written about her while she was away. Shaun King is trying to catch a ride on the great exposure that her kidnapping received all over the world and in the U.S. in particular, and the most ridiculous thing is that Natalie and her mother Judith are very active in Rabbi Hecht’s Jewish community in Chicago and in the Chabad house, and if Shaun King knew them or their family he would know that.”
