Bassem Youssef's X account vanishes after anti-Zionist post

The X social media account of prominent Egyptian-American comedian Bassem Youssef, which had nearly 12 million followers, was taken down on Tuesday for reasons that remain unclear.

Prior to the removal of his account, Youssef posted a message on X, formerly known as Twitter, criticising the frequent misuse of antisemitism accusations as a way to stifle discussions.

"Antisemitism was an accusation that used to freeze the blood in people’s veins. I see many people now realizing how this fear tactic is used to shut down conversations and scare people," he wrote. 

In a post on Instagram, Youssef addressed the removal of his account, saying: "I am not sure if or when my Twitter account will be back. I am here on Instagram and Facebook and any other account posing as me on Twitter is fake. I don’t wish to make any media statements or interviews about that now."