The son of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been criticised for using an antisemitic image on social media.

Yair Netanyahu posted the meme in a Facebook message claiming his family is the victim of a conspiracy over charges related to fraud and bribery.

The meme, captioned "the food chain," shows financier George Soros dangling a globe in front of a reptilian creature, and appears to draw on the antisemitic slur that Jews control the world’s institutions.

It also includes an antisemitic caricature of a hooded figure and photos of prominent Netanyahu critics, former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, protest leader Eldad Yaniv and Meni Naftali, a former caretaker at the Netanyahu’s official residence.

The meme seems to have been adapted from an antisemitic image popular among extremists and antisemitic conspiracy theorists.

The Israeli office of the Anti-Defamation League tweeted on Sunday that the image "contained clear antisemitic elements. The danger of antisemitic discourse should not be downplayed." 

According to Ha’aretz, Mr Barak, who is shown in the post chasing bank notes, responded by suggesting that Yair Netanyahu should see a psychiatrist.

“Is this what the kid hears at home?” he said. “Is it genetics, or a spontaneous mental illness? It doesn’t matter. In any case, we should fund his psychiatrist instead of security guards and a driver.”

Labour leader Avi Gabbay, tweeted: “It’s a particularly sad day for Israel when a caricature that’s endorsed by the head of the KKK emerges from the home of the prime minister of the Jewish state.”

David Duke, former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, tweeted that the meme “was rife with antisemitic themes” and suggested “(((Soros))) is controlling the world”.

The Daily Stormer, the neo-Nazi website, described the post as “awesome” and Yair Netanyahu as “a total bro”.