An Israeli government official in charge of promoting the country’s online image has been suspended following offensive posts on his Facebook page.

Daniel Seaman, who was appointed the Prime Minister’s director for interactive media in July, said in a phone call that he currently has “instructions from the Prime Minister’s office not to speak to the press”.

Mr Seaman was reprimanded after reacting to Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat’s call for a halt to settlement expansion by asking: “Is there a diplomatic way of saying ‘Go F*** yourself’?”

He later stated that he was “sick” of Japan “holding their annual self-righteous commemorations for the Hiroshima and Nagasaki victims”.

The former director of the Government Press Office went on to claim that “Hiroshima and Nagasaki were the consequence of Japanese aggression. You reap what you sow.”

The National Information Directorate responded by declaring that “Danny Seaman’s statements on Facebook are unacceptable and do not express the position of the government of Israel. The directorate instructed Seaman to immediately refrain from making such statements.”