<p>Facebook said on Monday it removed a post and suspended a messenger bot from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's page, after it posted that he wanted phone numbers to call and convince people to get COVID-19 vaccinations.</p>.<p>Netanyahu on Thursday posted a video on Twitter encouraging senior citizens to get vaccinated and ended with the line: "If you know someone who is nervous about getting vaccinated, send me their name and phone number, maybe they'll get a surprise phone call from me and I'll convince them."</p>.<p>The Facebook bot posted a similar line to the prime minister's page, which was later removed by Facebook over privacy concerns. The video was still up on Twitter.</p>.<p>"Under our privacy policy we do not allow content that shares or asks for people's medical information," said a Facebook spokeswoman. "We have removed the offending post and temporarily suspended the messenger bot, which shared this content, for breaking these rules."</p>.<p>Netanyahu's Likud party said that the aim of the post had been simply "to encourage Israelis over the age of 60 to get vaccinated in order to save their lives".</p>.<p>Israel has become a world leader in vaccinating its population against COVID-19, which could give Netanyahu a boost ahead of a March 23 election.</p>
<p>Facebook said on Monday it removed a post and suspended a messenger bot from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's page, after it posted that he wanted phone numbers to call and convince people to get COVID-19 vaccinations.</p>.<p>Netanyahu on Thursday posted a video on Twitter encouraging senior citizens to get vaccinated and ended with the line: "If you know someone who is nervous about getting vaccinated, send me their name and phone number, maybe they'll get a surprise phone call from me and I'll convince them."</p>.<p>The Facebook bot posted a similar line to the prime minister's page, which was later removed by Facebook over privacy concerns. The video was still up on Twitter.</p>.<p>"Under our privacy policy we do not allow content that shares or asks for people's medical information," said a Facebook spokeswoman. "We have removed the offending post and temporarily suspended the messenger bot, which shared this content, for breaking these rules."</p>.<p>Netanyahu's Likud party said that the aim of the post had been simply "to encourage Israelis over the age of 60 to get vaccinated in order to save their lives".</p>.<p>Israel has become a world leader in vaccinating its population against COVID-19, which could give Netanyahu a boost ahead of a March 23 election.</p>