Netanyahu's son under fire after sharing anti-Semitic meme

Israeli political leaders lashed out at Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's eldest son after he posted an allegedly anti-Semitic caricature aimed at his father's left-wing critics.

Yair Netanyahu's meme showed American-Jewish billionaire George Soros and an allegedly anti-Semitic depiction of a figure influencing former Prime Minister Ehud Barak and two Israeli leaders of weekly anti-government protests.

The post was shared by former Ku Klux Klan (KKK) leader David Duke and others who have made anti-Semitic claims that leading Jewish figures are seeking to control the world.

The Israeli opposition Labor Party's Chairman Avi Gabbay told Army Radio that the post "crossed every line imaginable".

He said it was a "very sad" day for Israel and the Jewish people around the world and that Yair Netanyahu's cartoon was on par with the opinions of the KKK and neo-Nazis.

Ehud Barak pondered whether Yair Netanyahu - who allegedly enjoys a state-funded driver and bodyguard while living at the prime minister's official residence - absorbed such ideology at home.

"What is it, genetics or a spontaneous mental illness? It doesn't matter. In any case, we ought to pay for him to have a psychiatrist, not a bodyguard and a chauffeur," Barak wrote. Yair Netanyahu retaliated by calling Barak a drunk who needed geriatric care.

The 26-year-old Yair Netanyahu has drawn criticism for living a privileged life at the taxpayers' expense and for his sometimes crude social media posts.

Corruption allegations against the Netanyahu family have been the focal point in Israel in recent months.

The prime minister has been questioned about his ties to executives in media, international business and Hollywood.

His associates have been engulfed in a probe relating to a possible conflict of interest involving a $2 billion purchase of German submarines.

Israel's attorney general has said he intends to indict the prime minister's wife, Sara, for fraud over her bloated household expenses.

Yair Netanyahu - who has reportedly taken a leading role in his father's antagonistic social media platform - has also been drawn into the allegations.

Australian billionaire James Packer has reportedly showered Yair with favours that included extended stays at luxury hotels across the world, as well as the use of his private jet and dozens of tickets for concerts by Packer’s former fiancee, Mariah Carey.