Israel’s oldest newspaper incorrectly identified Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., as “gay” Thursday, much to the delight and amusement of political journalists in the United States.
“Gay Jewish U.S. Senator Al Franken endorses #IranDeal, says ‘it isn’t a perfect agreement, but it is a strong one,'” read a message on Haaretz’s social media feed.
Franken, who is Jewish, is not gay. The Minnesota senator is married with two children. Franken and his wife, Franni, will be celebrating their 40th anniversary this October.
The Haaretz story itself, titled “Sen. Al Franken Announces Support for Iran Deal,” makes no mention of Franken’s supposed sexual preferences. Rather, the story focuses entirely on the senator’s thoughts on the White House’s efforts to strike a nuclear pact with Tehran.
“Franken is 5th of nine Jewish senators to endorse deal,” the report reads.
Haaretz’s social media team deleted the tweet within minutes, but not before reporters in the United States had a chance to point and laugh.
“Happy, you know, because he was a comedian,” the Washington Examiner‘s David Drucker joked, referring to Franken’s former occupation as comedy writer.
The Intercept’s Glenn Greenwald added, “Enjoy this awesome tweet while you can — can’t have long for this world.”
The Washington Free Beacon’s Lachlan Markey asked simply, “Wait. What?”
“Scoop if true,” the Washington Post’s Dave Weigel added.
Of the deal, Franken wrote in a CNN op-ed that, “Many have expressed reservations about the deal, and I share some of those reservations.”
“It isn’t a perfect agreement,” he added. “But it is a strong one. This agreement is, in my opinion, the most effective, realistic way to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon anytime in the next 15 years.”
Haaretz, which was founded in 1918, did not respond to the Examiner‘s request for comment.
