David Keyes

Keyes was born in Los Angeles, California.{{Cite news|url=https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4779504,00.html|title=Netanyahu appoints provocative activist as spokesperson|date=2016-03-18|website=Ynetnews|language=en|access-date=2019-07-04|last1=Eichner |first1=Itamar }} He attended Shalhevet High School and University High School.{{Cite news|url=https://jewishjournal.com/culture/lifestyle/education/4728/|title=Kitchen Classroom|last=Gray|first=Beverly|date=23 August 2011|work=Jewish Journal|access-date=4 July 2019}} In his youth, he was a top-ranked tennis player in California and played in the junior national championships.{{Cite web|url=https://www.carnegiecouncil.org/studio/multimedia/20141103-a-conversation-with-david-keyes-on-advancing-human-rights|title=A Conversation with David Keyes on Advancing Human Rights {{!}} Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs|website=www.carnegiecouncil.org|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-04}} He once trained with Andre Agassi and wanted to be a professional tennis player.

Keyes graduated with honors from the University of California, Los Angeles with a degree in Middle Eastern studies.{{Cite web|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/pm-to-tap-us-born-human-rights-activist-as-new-spokesman/|title=PM to tap US-born human rights activist as new spokesman|last=Ahren|first=Raphael|website=www.timesofisrael.com|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-04}} While in college, he ran a group called Students Against Dictators and wrote for the UCLA newspaper, the Daily Bruin. In 2004, Keyes conducted research at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, where he specialized in terrorism and assisted Dore Gold, Israel's former ambassador to the United Nations.{{Cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-pm-taps-u-s-activist-critical-of-china-egypt-as-media-czar-1.5392347|title=Netanyahu Taps U.S. Activist Critical of China, Egypt as Media Czar|last=Ravid|first=Barak|date=19 January 2019|work=Haaretz|quote=Keyes also worked at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, which was headed until a few months ago by the current director general of the Foreign Ministry and another close Netanyahu associate, Dr. Dore Gold. David Keyes stepped down from this role in 2018 after multiple sexual assault allegations surfaced regarding him.}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.jcpa.org/brief/brief004-7.htm|title=Will a Gaza "Hamas-stan" Become a Future Al-Qaeda Sanctuary?|last1=Amidror|first1=Yaakov|last2=Keyes|first2=David|date=8 November 2004|website=www.jcpa.org|publisher=Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs|url-status=live|quote=David Keyes is specializing on terrorism at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs and assisting Dr. Dore Gold.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041109071421/http://www.jcpa.org:80/brief/brief004-7.htm |archive-date=9 November 2004 }}{{Cite book|last=Gold|first=Dore|url=https://archive.org/details/fightforjerusale00gold|title=The Fight for Jerusalem: Radical Islam, the West, and the Future of the Holy City|publisher=Regnery|year=2007|isbn=978-1-59698-042-6|location=Washington, D.C.|pages=[https://archive.org/details/fightforjerusale00gold/page/326 326]|oclc=826516649|quote=David Keyes resumed my past collaboration with him on studying the lessons of the Camp David/Taba period from 2000-2001 and produced first-class analytical work in this area.|url-access=registration}} In 2005, Keyes was a research intern at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/terror-attacks-highlight-case-for-reform-in-jordan|title=Terror Attacks Highlight Case for Reform in Jordan|last1=Abu Libdeh|first1=Samer|last2=Keyes|first2=David|date=18 November 2005|website=Washington Institute for Near East Policy|url-status=live|quote=David Keyes is a research intern with the Institute's Military and Security Studies Program.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103162340/https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/terror-attacks-highlight-case-for-reform-in-jordan |archive-date=3 January 2020 }} He studied Arabic in Cairo in 2006. After immigrating to Israel, Keyes served in the Strategic Division of the Israel Defense Forces and completed a master's degree in diplomacy at Tel Aviv University.{{Cite web|url=https://www.msz.gov.pl/en/p/wdd_en/archiwum/david_keyes_;jsessionid=ED1986DC729B8C8BE2D840EB2D1F9A1F.cmsap1p|title=David Keyes|website=Warsaw Dialogue for Democracy|access-date=2019-10-26}} He is fluent in Hebrew and Arabic.{{Cite web|url=https://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Keyes-officially-appointed-PMs-English-language-spokesman-447888|title=Keyes officially appointed PM's English language spokesman - Breaking News - Jerusalem Post|website=www.jpost.com|date=14 March 2016 |access-date=2019-07-04}}

While working for former Soviet dissident Natan Sharansky in Israel, Keyes founded CyberDissidents.org, a site meant to "highlight the voices of democratic online activists in the Middle East."{{Cite web|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/google-wants-to-bring-out-the-digital-activist-in-you/|title=Google wants to bring out the digital activist in you|last=Plante|first=Stephie Grob|website=www.timesofisrael.com|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-01}} CyberDissidents was a database and a platform for dissidents who wanted to reach a wider audience. Keyes was a keynote speaker at a conference on internet freedom organized by former President George W. Bush.{{Cite book|title=The Net Delusion: The Dark Side of Internet Freedom|url=https://archive.org/details/netdelu_mor_2011_00_0283|url-access=registration|last=Morozov|first=Evgeny|publisher=Public Affairs|year=2011|isbn=9781586488741|edition=1st|location=New York|oclc=515438457|quote=David Keyes, a director of a project called Cyberdissidents.org, was one of the keynote speakers at the Bush event, serving as a kind of bridge to the world of the old Soviet dissidents.}} In his speech, Keyes laid out his agenda to make dissidents more well-known.{{Cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/babbage/2010/04/22/by-the-light-of-his-nokia|title=By the light of his Nokia|date=2010-04-22|newspaper=The Economist|access-date=2019-10-16|issn=0013-0613}}

In 2008, Keyes condemned the Egyptian government for jailing bloggers who publish criticism of the government.{{Cite web |last=Rettig Gur |first=Haviv |date=2008-11-08 |title=Sharansky slams Egypt for jailing dissident blogger |url=https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/sharansky-slams-egypt-for-jailing-dissident-blogger |access-date=2022-03-17 |website=The Jerusalem Post {{!}} JPost.com |language=en-US |quote="Cyber dissidents throughout the Arab world and Iran are imprisoned for nothing more than speaking their minds," said Keyes, who also organized the Israeli demonstration in front of the Egyptian Embassy in Tel Aviv to coincide with the worldwide protests. "It remains an unassailable truth that no one is free when others are oppressed. It is unconscionable that an autocratic regime which receives billions of dollars of American aid every year can throw bloggers in prison simply for speaking out," he said.}} Keyes organized a protest at the Egyptian embassy in Tel Aviv to decry the ongoing detention of Egyptian blogger Kareem Amer.{{Cite news|url=https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3618915,00.html|title=Let my blogger go!|date=2008-06-11|website=Ynetnews|language=en|access-date=2019-07-01|last1=Levanon |first1=Noa }} The assistant Egyptian consul emerged to speak with the protesters and claimed he had no knowledge of Amer's imprisonment. In 2014, Keyes called for "maximum pressure on the Egyptian government to uphold civil liberties."{{Citation |title=Deadly violence across the Middle East - CNN Video |date=7 January 2014 |url=https://www.cnn.com/videos/bestoftv/2014/01/07/exp-tsr-middle-east-turmoil-david-keyes-fouad-ajami.cnn |access-date=2022-03-17}}

In February 2010, Keyes published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal criticizing the ban on YouTube in Turkey.{{Cite book|title=The cultural politics of Europe : European capitals of culture and European Union since 1980|last=Klaus Patel|first=Kiran|publisher=Routledge|year=2013|isbn=9780415521499|location=Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon|pages=163|oclc=768171535}} Keyes wrote that Turkey's status as a "European Capital of Culture" should be suspended until the YouTube ban was repealed.{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704140104575057313539219880|title=Turkey's Internet Repression|last=Keyes|first=David|date=2010-02-16|work=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=2019-10-26|language=en-US|issn=0099-9660}} The op-ed sparked a protest movement for free speech in Turkey after it was reprinted{{Cite web|url=http://www.radikal.com.tr/yorum/youtubesuz_kultur_baskenti_olmaz-980733/|title=YouTube'suz kültür başkenti olmaz (There can be no cultural capital without YouTube)|last=Keyes|first=David|date=2 February 2010|website=Radikal|language=tr|access-date=2019-10-26}} in Turkish media.{{Cite web|url=http://mediashift.org/2010/03/turkish-reporters-unite-to-protest-youtube-ban068/|title=Turkish Reporters Unite to Protest YouTube Ban|last=Le Coz|first=Clothilde|date=2010-03-09|website=MediaShift|publisher=MediaShift was affiliated with PBS until 2015|language=en|url-status=live|access-date=2019-10-26|quote=The Turkish courts banned YouTube in May 2008, and now a new protest campaign launched by the editorial team of the Milliyet newspaper is drawing attention to how long the country has been prevented from using the website... The editors of Milliyet were inspired to act by a February 16 piece in the Wall Street Journal by David Keyes...|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180519220346/http://mediashift.org/2010/03/turkish-reporters-unite-to-protest-youtube-ban068/ |archive-date=19 May 2018 }} In October 2010, the Turkish government lifted the YouTube ban{{Cite news|url=https://uk.reuters.com/article/oukin-uk-turkey-youtube-idUKTRE69T1JE20101030|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160121151105/http://uk.reuters.com/article/oukin-uk-turkey-youtube-idUKTRE69T1JE20101030|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 January 2016|title=Turkey lifts its ban on YouTube-agency|date=2010-10-30|work=Reuters|access-date=2019-10-26|language=en}} but continues to periodically restrict access to the site.{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/c37a7dd383d44412baf37558095c1569|title=Turkey briefly restricts internet after release of IS video|date=2016-12-23|website=AP NEWS|access-date=2019-10-26}}

In 2010, Keyes was approached by Robert L. Bernstein, the founder of Human Rights Watch. Bernstein was interested in finding new ways to open closed societies. Bernstein said Keyes was "a source of knowledge about all issues in the Middle East."{{Cite book|title=Speaking Freely: My Life in Publishing and Human Rights|last=Bernstein|first=Robert|publisher=The New Press|year=2016|isbn=978-1-62097-171-0|location=New York|pages=329|oclc=935784507|quote=David Keyes, who founded Advancing Human Rights with me, has been a source of knowledge about all issues in the Middle East.}} Bernstein saw potential in CyberDissidents and asked Keyes to help establish a new group called Advancing Human Rights.

In 2011, Keyes proposed holding a Saudi Women's Grand Prix in order to protest the ban on women driving in the kingdom, where some women have been sentenced to lashing for driving.{{Cite news|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/06/17/saudi-arabian-women-plan-day-of-protest-by-driving-on-june-17|title=Saudi Arabian Women Plan Day of Protest by Driving on June 17|last=Keyes|first=David|date=2011-06-17|access-date=2019-10-26|language=en}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-women-driving-idUSTRE78Q3QL20110927|title=Saudi woman faces flogging for driving: Amnesty|date=2011-09-27|work=Reuters|access-date=2019-10-26|language=en}} Keyes said that the goal of his campaign was to encourage the Saudi king to empower Saudi women and allow them to leave home without a man's permission.{{Cite news|url=https://www.pri.org/node/13719/popout|title=PRI Audio|last=Werman|first=Marco|newspaper=The World from PRX|publisher=Public Radio International|language=en|url-status=live|access-date=2019-10-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704100448/https://www.pri.org/node/13719/popout |archive-date=4 July 2019 }} Keyes became well known in Saudi Arabia for being behind the campaign to allow Saudi women to drive.{{Cite web|url=https://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/190111/the-one-website-you-should-visit-this-passover|title=The One Website You Should Visit This Passover is Movements.org|last=Leibovitz|first=Liel|date=2015-04-03|website=Tablet Magazine|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150908192656/http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/190111/the-one-website-you-should-visit-this-passover |archive-date=8 September 2015 }} During an interview on MSNBC, Keyes displayed a whip that Saudi authorities use to lash women who are convicted of leaving home without a male relative.{{Cite web|url=https://www.msnbc.com/newsnation/watch/saudi-women-face-the-whip-for-crimes-44089411973|title=Saudi women face the whip for crimes|last=Hall|first=Tamron|date=26 September 2011|website=MSNBC|language=en|url-status=live|access-date=2019-10-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191026223400/https://www.msnbc.com/newsnation/watch/saudi-women-face-the-whip-for-crimes-44089411973 |archive-date=26 October 2019 }} The senior editor of Commentary called Keyes' campaign for Saudi women's rights "the cleverest human-rights campaign of 2011."{{Cite web|url=https://www.commentarymagazine.com/foreign-policy/middle-east/race-to-freedom/|title=Race to Freedom|last=Greenwald|first=Abe|date=2011-01-12|website=Commentary|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-26}}

In 2012, Keyes became the head of Movements, an online platform for human rights activists founded in 2008 by Jared Cohen, the director of Google Ideas.{{Cite news|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/04/19/crowdsourcing-freedom|title=Crowdsourcing Freedom: An Interview With David Keyes|last=Harris|first=Sam|date=2015-04-19|work=The Daily Beast|language=en|quote=I took over Movements in 2012}} Cohen said his group was looking for a partner and reviewed many human rights organizations before approaching Keyes. Cohen said he was impressed with Keyes' "phenomenal network of cyberactivists in the Middle East and North Africa." With Keyes at the helm, Movements declared June 2013 to be "Dictator Appreciation Month" – an initiative that highlighted human rights activists who use satire.{{Cite book|title=The political aesthetics of global protest: the Arab Spring and beyond|publisher=Edinburgh University Press|year=2014|isbn=9780748693504|editor-last=Werbner|editor-first=Pnina|location=Edinburgh|pages=351|oclc=903488799|quote=For instance, the international platform Movements.org declared June 2013 'Dictator Appreciation Month', asking citizens around the world to contribute materials to their expanding 'laughtivism' web resources '[b]ecause we love sarcasm'.|editor-last2=Webb|editor-first2=Martin|editor-last3=Spellman-Poots|editor-first3=Kathryn}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/06/20/celebrate-dictator-appreciation-month|title=Celebrate Dictator Appreciation Month|last=Keyes|first=David|date=2013-06-20|work=The Daily Beast|language=en|quote=To stand in solidarity with these courageous voices, Movements.org, a division of Advancing Human Rights, has declared June 'Dictator Appreciation Month.' This initiative highlights activists from Cuba to China, who use satire to poke fun at their blundering and oppressive regimes.}} Keyes reintroduced Movements in 2014 as a platform for crowdsourcing human rights. Less than one year later, Tablet magazine wrote that what Movements did for human rights was "what Amazon did to shopping or Craigslist to ads."

In 2013, Keyes confronted Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif in New York about human rights in Iran.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/majid-tavakoli-prominent-iranian-political-prisoner-freed-after-facebook-backlash/|title=Majid Tavakoli, prominent Iranian political prisoner, freed after Facebook backlash|last=Smith|first=Stephen|date=22 October 2013|website=CBS News|url-status=live|quote=On Monday, Tavakoli was a free man - thanks in part to a U.S.-based human rights activist who reignited a campaign to release him after confronting Iran's foreign minister in New York.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131228222618/http://www.cbsnews.com:80/news/majid-tavakoli-prominent-iranian-political-prisoner-freed-after-facebook-backlash/ |archive-date=28 December 2013 }} Keyes asked Zarif when Majid Tavakoli, one of Iran's most prominent student activists, would be freed from prison. Zarif responded: "I don't know him."{{Cite news|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/10/09/iran-s-foreign-minister-loves-facebook-despite-banning-it-at-home|title=Iran's Foreign Minister Loves Facebook Despite Banning It at Home|last=Keyes|first=David|date=2013-10-09|access-date=2019-07-01|language=en}} Soon after, thousands of Iranians took to social media to demand to know how it was possible that their foreign minister was unaware of his nation's most famous political prisoners. As a result of the uproar, Tavakoli was granted leave from prison.{{Cite news|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-tavakoli-rights/25143877.html|title=Iranian Activist Granted Prison Leave|website=RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty|language=en|access-date=2019-07-01}} Keyes said he was "totally overjoyed" that his confrontation with Zarif led to Tavakoli's release.

On 13 November 2013, Keyes co-authored an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal with Garry Kasparov, a former presidential candidate in Russia and former world chess champion.{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303460004579192172012914510?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEFTTopOpinion|title=Issuing a Streetwise Challenge to Dictators|last1=Keyes|first1=David|date=13 November 2013|work=The Wall Street Journal|last2=Kasparov|first2=Gary}} The article launched Keyes' new initiative, Dissident Squared, to rename the streets in front of the embassies of dictatorships after political prisoners. The Daily Beast cited Keyes as the "brainchild" of Dissident Squared and said it had "earned the support of major human rights luminaries and fighters for freedom around the world."{{cite web|author=James Kirchick|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/11/04/magnitsky-plaza-let-s-rename-the-streets-outside-dictators-embassies.html |title=Magnitsky Plaza? Let's Rename the Streets Outside Dictators' Embassies |publisher=The Daily Beast|date=4 November 2012}}

In 2014, Keyes was the driving force behind the bipartisan effort in Congress to rename the street address of the Chinese embassy in Washington, DC, to No. 1 Liu Xiaobo Plaza, after the famed Chinese dissident and Nobel Peace Prize winner.{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/06/25/the-not-so-subtle-diplomatic-tactic-of-renaming-streets-to-troll-other-countries/|title=The not-so-subtle diplomatic tactic of renaming streets to troll other countries|last=Taylor|first=Adam|date=25 June 2014|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=1 July 2019}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/03/18/israels-new-spokesman-liked-to-punk-iranian-diplomats/|title=Netanyahu's new spokesman liked to 'punk' Iranian diplomats|last=Booth|first=William|date=18 March 2016|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=1 July 2019}} The Washington Post reported that Chinese officials demanded that the U.S. administration bury the bill.{{Cite news |last=Rogin |first=Josh |date=30 July 2017 |title=Trump administration quietly pressing China to free Liu Xiaobo's widow |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/trump-administration-quietly-pressing-china-to-free-liu-xiaobos-widow/2017/07/30/35d5dbe8-73c4-11e7-8839-ec48ec4cae25_story.html |access-date=1 July 2019}} The issue threatened to become a major irritant in U.S.-China relations.

In 2016, Keyes was awarded the Charles Benton Digital Equity Champion Award.{{cite web | url=https://netinclusion2018.sched.com/david.keyes1 | title=David Keyes City of Seattle IT | last= | first= | date= | website=Sched | accessdate=11 May 2021 }}

Keyes is a fellow at the Disruptor Foundation, an organization whose mission is to raise awareness of disruptive innovation theory and encourage its application in order to bring about changes in society.{{Cite web|url=https://www.disruptorawards.com/fellows-k|title=FELLOWS: K|website=Disruptor Awards|language=en-US|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191028111402/https://www.disruptorawards.com/fellows-k |archive-date=28 October 2019 }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.disruptorawards.com/disruptor-foundation|title=Disruptor Foundation|website=Disruptor Awards|language=en-US|url-status=live|quote=Disruptor Foundation is co-founded by Craig Hatkoff, Irwin Kula and Professor Clayton Christensen in 2009, the Disruptor Foundation is a private 501(C)3 non-profit whose mission is to raise awareness of and encourage the advancement of disruptive innovation theory and its application in societally-critical domains.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180709003955/https://www.disruptorawards.com/disruptor-foundation/ |archive-date=9 July 2018 }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.disruptorawards.com/tdia-blog/2017/1/25/disruptor-david-keyes-on-the-sony-hack|title=Disruptor David Keyes on The Sony Hack|website=Disruptor Awards|date=25 January 2017 |language=en-US|url-status=live|quote=This blog post is a re-post of an article written by 'The Daily Beast' contributor David M. Keyes, one of our Disruptor Foundation Fellows.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191028111630/https://www.disruptorawards.com/tdia-blog/2017/1/25/disruptor-david-keyes-on-the-sony-hack |archive-date=28 October 2019 }}

In 2015, Keyes increased his use of humor and satire in order to highlight the human rights records of various countries. He published a number of videos documenting his "punkings" of Saudi and Iranian diplomats.

In April 2015, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif gave a talk at New York University. Outside the hall, Keyes led a "celebration" of a milestone: Iran hanging 1,000 prisoners in 18 months. Keyes parked a van on the street and offered free ice cream to passers-by. The theme of the mock celebration was, "Free ice cream; free Iran’s political prisoners."{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/ice-cream-with-raspberries-iranian-style-1430521953|title=Ice Cream With Raspberries, Iranian-Style|last=Weiss|first=David Feith And Bari|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|date=May 2015 |language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-01}}  

In May 2015, the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission announced that its annual job fair would be taking place at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center.{{Cite web|url=https://www.arabamerica.com/events/sacm-graduation-job-fair-convention/|title=Saudi Arabian Graduation and Job Fair Convention|date=22 May 2015|website=Arab America|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150523000250/http://www.arabamerica.com:80/events/sacm-graduation-job-fair-convention/? |archive-date=23 May 2015 }} Keyes used the opportunity to protest Saudi Arabia's treatment of homosexuals{{Cite web|url=https://www.algemeiner.com/2015/06/02/human-rights-activist-punks-saudi-arabia-over-treatment-of-gays/|title=Human Rights Activist 'Punks' Saudi Arabia Over Treatment of Gays|last=Miller|first=Paul|date=2 June 2015|website=The Algemeiner|language=en-US|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150811083453/http://www.algemeiner.com/2015/06/02/human-rights-activist-punks-saudi-arabia-over-treatment-of-gays/ |archive-date=11 August 2015 }} and threw a "big gay party" in the lobby of the Gaylord.{{Cite web|url=http://www.advocate.com/world/2015/06/02/watch-saudi-arabian-job-fair-gaylord-gets-punked|title=WATCH: Saudi Arabian Job Fair at Gaylord Gets Punked|date=2015-06-02|website=www.advocate.com|language=en|access-date=2019-07-01}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/activist-punks-saudi-arab_b_7489636|title=Blog: Activist Punks Saudi Arabia With Gay Rights Party|last=Mael|first=Daniel|date=2015-06-01|website=HuffPost|language=en|access-date=2019-07-01}} Keyes also prodded Saudi Arabia in a video called "Abdullah: Let Your Women Drive." He delivered his address in fluent Arabic.

In summer 2015, Keyes ambushed Iranian diplomats at the nuclear negotiations in Vienna and asked them on camera, "Who's your favorite political prisoner, if you could only pick one?"{{Cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/watch-activist-trolls-iranian-diplomats-in-vienna-1.5376123|title=WATCH: Activist Trolls Iranian Diplomats Negotiating Nuclear Deal in Vienna|date=2015-07-11|work=Haaretz|access-date=2019-07-01|language=en}} In a hallway inside the hotel, Keyes told Wendy Sherman, the chief US negotiator in Vienna, "Wendy, congrats on all the success of reducing the rate of hangings in Iran hopefully to only once every two-and-a-half hours."{{Cite news|url=https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4779504,00.html|title=Netanyahu appoints provocative activist as spokesperson|last=Eichner|first=Itamar|date=2016-03-18|work=Ynetnews|access-date=2018-09-20|language=en}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.weeklystandard.com/jim-swift/irans-nuclear-negotiators-punked-in-vienna|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181205192436/https://www.weeklystandard.com/jim-swift/irans-nuclear-negotiators-punked-in-vienna|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 December 2018|title=Iran's Nuclear Negotiators Punked in Vienna|date=2015-07-09|website=The Weekly Standard|language=en|access-date=2019-07-01}}

In March 2016, Keyes was named the Prime Minister of Israel's spokesperson to foreign media. Keyes replaced Mark Regev, who became Israel's ambassador to the United Kingdom.{{Cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-pm-picks-u-s-activist-critical-of-china-egypt-as-media-czar-1.5417451|title=Netanyahu Appoints U.S. Activist Critical of China, Egypt as Foreign Media Czar|date=2016-03-14|work=Haaretz|access-date=2019-10-11|language=en}} A senior official close to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu actively recruited Keyes for the position.{{Cite web|url=https://www.jpost.com/Magazine/Anglos-with-influence-506566|title=Meet some of the most influential English-speakers in Israeli politics - Israel News - Jerusalem Post|website=www.jpost.com|date=4 October 2017 |access-date=2019-07-01}} Before his appointment, Keyes was known as a "wunderkind of online activism."{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-israel-pr-failures-20180808-story.html|title=In crisis after crisis, Israel is losing the public relations war. Is it winnable?|date=2018-08-08|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|url-status=live|access-date=2019-10-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808122938/http://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-israel-pr-failures-20180808-story.html |archive-date=8 August 2018 }}

Keyes boosted Netanyahu's performance on social media.{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-netanyahu-idUSKBN15F1LA|title=Netanyahu tweets like Trump. Great idea!|last1=Lubell|first1=Maayan|date=2017-01-31|work=Reuters|access-date=2019-10-21|last2=Baker|first2=Luke|language=en|quote=The ramping-up of Netanyahu’s presence on Twitter and Facebook has largely taken place since he appointed a new English-language spokesman in early 2016 - American-born David Keyes, who has a background in online video campaigns.}} Over the next few months, Netanyahu published a series of videos that garnered nearly 40 million views.{{Cite web|url=https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Netanyahu-falls-in-love-with-video-clips-the-new-Israel-Palestinian-battleground-463117|title=Netanyahu falls in love with video clips, the new Israel-Palestinian battleground|last=Keinon|first=Herb|date=3 August 2016|website=The Jerusalem Post|url-status=live|access-date=2019-07-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160805220133/http://www.jpost.com:80/Israel-News/Netanyahu-falls-in-love-with-video-clips-the-new-Israel-Palestinian-battleground-463117 |archive-date=5 August 2016 }} The Jerusalem Post reported that Netanyahu's viral videos "bear the hallmark of David Keyes."

Keyes was credited with writing Netanyahu's viral video response to the Orlando nightclub shooting in June 2016.{{Cite web|url=https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Culture/More-than-22-million-click-on-Netanyahu-social-media-response-to-Orlando-massacre-457620|title=More than 22 million click on Netanyahu social media response to Orlando massacre - Israel News - Jerusalem Post|website=www.jpost.com|date=24 June 2016 |access-date=2019-07-01}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/benjamin-netanyahu-football-video-iran-why-filmed-chief-social-media-a8419986.html|title='I asked Netanyahu's chief social media man why he made his football video about Iran – this is what he told me'|date=2018-06-27|website=The Independent|language=en|access-date=2019-07-01}} In the video, Netanyahu said the casualties were victims of homophobia and intolerance and called on people not to give in to "hate and fear." Netanyahu called on people to embrace the LGBT community, "comfort them, tell them you stand together, we stand together as one, and that you will always remember the victims."{{Cite web|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-orlando-casualties-were-victims-of-homophobia/|title=Netanyahu: Orlando casualties were victims of homophobia|last=Ahren|first=Raphael|website=www.timesofisrael.com|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-01}} The Financial Times called the video "a masterclass in responding to tragedy."{{Cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/488033b8-32f9-11e6-bda0-04585c31b153|title=Benjamin Netanyahu's masterclass in responding to tragedy|last=Leith|first=Sam|date=June 2016|website=Financial Times|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-07-01}} The video was seen by more than 22 million people. It was the most-watched video statement ever put out by Netanyahu. Keyes told the New York Times in September 2016 that the eight videos he produced for Netanyahu had over 42 million views.{{Cite news |last=Kershner |first=Isabel |date=2016-09-12 |title=Benjamin Netanyahu Draws Fire After Saying Palestinians Support 'Ethnic Cleansing' |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/13/world/middleeast/benjamin-netanyahu-ethnic-cleansing.html |access-date=2022-03-17 |issn=0362-4331 |quote=Answering questions by WhatsApp, Mr. Keyes, who is credited for orchestrating the video campaign, said the eight videos produced so far had over 42 million views.}}File:A delegation from the ECR Bureau travelled to Israel for meetings with Benjamin Netanyahu & other leading figures, & to lay a wreath at Yad Vashem (31333972962) (cropped).jpg, 4 December 2016.|left]]

In December 2016, Keyes said that Israel had "ironclad" information from sources in the Arab world that the Obama administration helped craft a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israel for housing construction in the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem and "pushed hard" to ensure its passage.{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/bd885256d3fb433b9161b0b660a4c388|title=Israel: 'Ironclad information' White House behind UN rebuke|date=2016-12-27|website=AP NEWS|access-date=2019-10-21}} Keyes said on CNN that it was outrageous that the Security Council resolution considered the Western Wall to be part of "occupied Palestinian territory."{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2016/12/26/world/israel-benjamin-netanyahu-ironclad-intel-erin-burnett-cnntv/index.html|title=Israel says there's proof Obama pushed UN vote|author=Jason Squitieri|website=CNN|date=27 December 2016 |access-date=2019-10-21}}

In February 2018, an armed Iranian drone infiltrated Israeli airspace from Syria and was shot down by the Israeli Air Force.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/14/world/middleeast/syria-iran-israel-drone.html|title=Iranian Drone Launched From Syria was Armed, Israel Says|last=Kershner|first=Isabel|date=2018-04-14|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-07-14|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/iranian-drone-shot-down-in-northern-israel-in-february-was-armed-with-explosives/|title=Iranian drone shot down in northern Israel in February was armed with explosives|last=Alexander Fulbright|website=www.timesofisrael.com|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-14}} Keyes proposed that Netanyahu display a piece of the drone at the upcoming Munich Security Conference.{{Cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/MAGAZINE-the-loyal-skeleton-crew-that-s-sticking-around-for-netanyahu-1.5868056|title=Netanyahu's Millennials: The Loyal Crew That's Sticking Around Israel's Embattled Leader|last1=Landau|first1=Noa|date=2018-03-06|work=Haaretz|access-date=2019-07-14|last2=Levinson|first2=Chaim|language=en}} Keyes stashed the drone piece under the podium before Netanyahu's speech.{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-iran-speech-meant-to-sway-us-to-renew-sanctions/|title=Netanyahu: My Iran speech was meant to sway US to renew sanctions|last=Gross|first=Judah Ari|website=www.timesofisrael.com|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-14}} While delivering his remarks, Netanyahu brandished the wing flap from the Iranian drone and asked, "Mr. Zarif, do you recognize this? You should. It's yours."{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/brandishing-drone-fragment-netanyahu-warns-of-war-with-iran/2018/02/18/ab3be104-10e8-11e8-a68c-e9374188170e_story.html|title=Brandishing drone fragment, Netanyahu warns that Iran risks conflict|last1=Witte|first1=Griffe|date=18 February 2018|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=14 July 2019|last2=Birnbaum|first2=Michael}} Netanyahu's display grabbed headlines around the world and inspired memes on social media.{{Cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-how-netanyahu-s-visual-props-made-him-an-unlikely-trendsetter-1.5826935|title=Props to Bibi: How Netanyahu's Visual Aids Made Him an Unlikely Trendsetter|last=Sommer|first=Allison Kaplan|date=2018-02-18|work=Haaretz|access-date=2019-07-14|language=en}} Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif called Netanyahu's prop a "cartoonish circus" that "does not even deserve the dignity of a response."{{Cite news|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/munich-netanyahu-iran-greatest-threat/29046395.html|title=Israel, Iran Trade Barbs at Munich Security Conference|website=RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty|language=en|access-date=2019-07-14|last1=Schreck |first1=Carl }} Netanyahu said the fact that Zarif was forced to respond was "the whole point" of the display and a public relations win. Keyes was credited for his role in shaping the prime minister's media strategy.

In April 2018, Keyes said that Yaser Murtaja, a Palestinian photographer killed by Israeli soldiers during demonstrations on the Gaza border, was a Hamas officer who used his drone to collect intelligence on Israeli positions.{{Cite web|url=https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Terrorist-or-journalist-Who-really-was-the-slain-Gazan-Yaser-Murtaja-549709|title=Terrorist or journalist? Who really was the slain Gazan Yaser Murtaja?|last=Frantzman|first=Seth|date=13 April 2018|website=The Jerusalem Post|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180413040705/http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Terrorist-or-journalist-Who-really-was-the-slain-Gazan-Yaser-Murtaja-549709 |archive-date=13 April 2018 }} "I saw the intelligence myself," Keyes said. "There is not a scintilla of doubt."{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-israel-gaza-yasser-murtaja-20190330-story.html|title=Journalist or terrorist? Palestinian's death at Gaza border a year ago still unresolved|last1=Tarnopolsky|first1=Noga|last2=Abu Alouf|first2=Rushdi|date=2019-04-02|website=Los Angeles Times|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402180104/https://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-israel-gaza-yasser-murtaja-20190330-story.html |archive-date=2 April 2019 }}

File:Benjamin Netanyahu Drone 2018.jpg

In June 2018, Keyes was credited with producing a viral video in which Netanyahu offered to share Israeli water technology with Iran, which suffers from severe drought.{{Cite web|url=https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Are-Netanyahus-messages-to-the-Iranians-working-560199|title=Are Netanyahu's messages to the Iranians working? - Middle East - Jerusalem Post|website=www.jpost.com|date=17 June 2018 |access-date=2019-07-02}} "The Iranian people are the victims of a cruel and tyrannical regime that denies them vital water," Netanyahu said. "Israel stands with the people of Iran and that is why I want to help save countless Iranian lives." The video received five million views in five days.{{Cite news|url=https://www.israelhayom.com/2018/06/18/netanyahus-water-tech-offer-draws-wave-of-iranian-support/|title=Netanyahu's water tech offer draws wave of Iranian support|last=Kahana|first=Ariel|date=18 June 2018|work=Israel Hayom|access-date=2 July 2019}} In addition, nearly 100,000 Iranians joined the Israeli government's Persian-language Telegram account in a 24-hour period. The video received wide media coverage in Iran, and many Iranian people reacted positively. The Iranian government responded to the video by rejecting Netanyahu's offer of help. Keyes said that the main goal of publishing videos about Iran was to "[r]each out directly to the Iranian people and show them that Israel is their friend, not – as the Iranian regime says – their enemy." Eli Lake, a foreign policy columnist for Bloomberg, credited Keyes' "revolutionary pedigree" from his time as a human rights activist for encouraging Netanyahu to speak directly to the Iranian people.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2018-07-02/benjamin-netanyahu-youtube-star|title=Benjamin Netanyahu, YouTube Star|last=Lake|first=Eli|date=2 July 2018|website=Bloomberg|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416023359/https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2018-07-02/benjamin-netanyahu-youtube-star |archive-date=16 April 2019 }}

In July 2018, Keyes crafted a video for Netanyahu that called on the world to help Iranians improve their lives by standing up to "a regime that oppresses them and denies them a life of dignity, prosperity, and respect."{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-latest-english-language-video-netanyahu-asks-the-world-to-help-iran/|title=In latest English-language video, Netanyahu asks the world to help Iran|date=30 July 2018|website=The Times of Israel|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180730110007/https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-latest-english-language-video-netanyahu-asks-the-world-to-help-iran/ |archive-date=30 July 2018 }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-israel-pr-failures-20180808-story.html|title=In crisis after crisis, Israel is losing the public relations war. Is it winnable?|date=2018-08-08|website=Los Angeles Times|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808122938/http://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-israel-pr-failures-20180808-story.html |archive-date=8 August 2018 }} Netanyahu told the story of an imaginary 15-year-old girl called Fatemeh whose daily life is full of hardships.{{Cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-bibi-love-bombs-iran-on-twitter-effective-diplomacy-or-trolling-1.6334285|title=Netanyahu (Love) Bombs Iran on Twitter: Effective Public Diplomacy or Geopolitical Trolling?|date=2018-07-31|work=Haaretz|access-date=2019-10-18|language=en}} The video was viewed more than 1.5 million times in ten days on Netanyahu's social media accounts. Fox News' Sean Hannity put the video on the top of his Twitter feed for more than 16 hours, where US President Donald Trump, along with Hannity's 3.6 million other followers, would likely see it.{{Cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-bibi-love-bombs-iran-on-twitter-effective-diplomacy-or-trolling-1.6334285|title=Netanyahu (Love) Bombs Iran on Twitter: Effective Public Diplomacy or Geopolitical Trolling?|last=Kaplan Sommer|first=Allison|date=2018-07-31|work=Haaretz|quote=The video sat on top of the Twitter feed of Fox News' Sean Hannity for more than 16 hours – from Sunday night into Monday – where Trump, along with Hannity’s 3.6 million other followers, would likely spot it as they began their week.}}

An Iranian student seeking political asylum in the United States said that Netanyahu's video messages to the Iranian people "resonated with many Iranians" and "made Israel popular in Iran."{{Cite web|url=https://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Netanyahus-social-media-campaign-has-revived-Israels-image-in-Iran-610328|title=Netanyahu's social media campaign has revived Israel's image in Iran|last=Khatiri|first=Shay|date=9 December 2019|website=The Jerusalem Post|url-status=live|quote=One of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's greatest foreign policy legacies remains unseen to most Israelis and the world: He has made Israel popular in Iran! It all started with Netanyahu's video campaign on social media, which coincided with the Islamic Republic’s rapid deterioration of popularity. In a series of social media videos, Netanyahu directly spoke with the Iranian people with Persian subtitles, and the videos went viral on social media and messaging apps among Iranian users.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209105925/https://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Netanyahus-social-media-campaign-has-revived-Israels-image-in-Iran-610328 |archive-date=9 December 2019 }}

In July 2018, Keyes was reported to be the leading candidate to replace Danny Danon as Israel's ambassador to the United Nations.{{Cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/jewish-insider-s-daily-kickoff-july-30-2018-1.6334354|title=Jewish Insider's Daily Kickoff: July 30, 2018|date=2018-07-30|work=Haaretz|access-date=2019-07-01|language=en}}

Keyes resigned from his position in December 2018 following accusations of sexual misconduct, which he denied.

File:Sebastian Kurz Arbeitsbesuch Israel (26981343221).jpg and Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz sign a memorandum of understanding, 16 May 2016.]]

Before Keyes formally began his role as Netanyahu's spokesman, he underwent a lengthy vetting process for the job that brought him into the prime minister's inner circle.{{Cite web|url=https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/New-PM-spokesman-unequivocally-denies-sexual-assault-allegation-450272|title=New PM spokesman 'unequivocally' denies sexual assault allegation - Israel News - Jerusalem Post|website=www.jpost.com|date=5 April 2016 |access-date=2019-06-19}} As part of the vetting process, Keyes passed a polygraph test during which he was asked questions about whether he was involved in any criminal or sexual offenses. In April 2016, one day after Keyes posted his first official tweet as Netanyahu's spokesperson, an anonymous complaint of sexual assault against Keyes was reported in Israeli media. The Jerusalem Post reported at the time that the complaint came from an anti-Israel activist who was denied entry to Israel in 2014. Keyes unequivocally denied the allegation.

In September 2018, New York Senate candidate Julia Salazar publicly accused Keyes of sexual assault.[https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-netanyahu-spokesman-denies-sexual-assault-claim-by-julia-salazar-1.6466491 Netanyahu Spokesman Denies Sexual Assault Claim by N.Y. State Senate Candidate Julia Salazar], Haaretz, 12 September 2018 Salazar said she did so in order to preempt a planned story by The Daily Caller that she learned about beforehand which would have named her as the anonymous complainant from April 2016.{{cite web|url=http://gothamist.com/2018/09/11/julia_salazar_sexual_assault.php|title=Julia Salazar Campaign Says Daily Caller Plans To Out Her As Sexual Assault Survivor|access-date=11 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180911215656/http://gothamist.com/2018/09/11/julia_salazar_sexual_assault.php|archive-date=11 September 2018|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-news-julia-salazar-sexual-assault-20180911-story.html|title=Brooklyn state Senate hopeful Julia Salazar says she was sexually assaulted by spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu|last=Schapiro|first=Rich|date=11 September 2018 |publisher=NY Daily News|accessdate=11 September 2018}} Keyes denied her allegations, saying, "This false accusation is made by someone who has proven to be repeatedly dishonest about her own life. This is yet another example of her dishonesty."

Following these reports, a total of fourteen additional women subsequently came out with allegations of improper behavior; ten of them remained anonymous.{{Cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-ten-more-women-accuse-netanyahu-spokesman-keyes-of-improper-behavior-1.6468814|title=Ten More Women Accuse Netanyahu Spokesman Keyes of Improper Behavior|last=Sommer|first=Allison Kaplan|date=2018-09-12|work=Haaretz|access-date=2019-07-01|language=en}} One report said that in 2013, Keyes had been barred from entering The Wall Street Journal opinion section's offices without appointment due to complaints made by female employees. Bret Stephens, then the deputy editor of the Wall Street Journal's opinion section, called Keyes a "disgrace to men" and "a disgrace as a Jew" in barring him from the office, and Keyes later sent apology emails "for being less than gentlemanly."{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/13/world/middleeast/david-keyes-netanyahu-israel.html|title=Netanyahu Aide Steps Aside After Sexual Assault Allegations|last=Halbfinger|first=David M.|date=2018-09-13|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-06-19|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}} Another women, a North American immigrant to Israel, described an "aggressive, sexual advance", which she described in detail, made by Keyes weeks after he became Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesperson for the international media. Israel's Channel 10 reported that two female employees at the Washington, DC, think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies had also complained to their superiors about Keyes having "harassed" them in 2013.{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/keyes-accused-of-making-aggressive-sexual-advance-while-serving-as-pms-aide/|title=Keyes accused of making 'aggressive' sexual advance while serving as PM's aide|last=Ahren|first=Raphael|website=www.timesofisrael.com|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-11}} In response, Keyes said that "all of the accusations are deeply misleading and many of them are categorically false."

In September 2018, the Israeli Civil Service Commission looked into the complaints voiced about Keyes.{{cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/civil-service-commission-drops-probe-into-keyess-alleged-misconduct-in-israel/|title=Civil Service Commission drops probe into Keyes's alleged misconduct in Israel|website=The Times of Israel |accessdate=3 December 2018}} The commission also investigated the role of Israeli Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer who had acknowledged that he was warned that Keyes was likely to be a threat to women working at the Prime Minister's office, but failed to alert the relevant authorities.{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/civil-service-commission-looking-into-complaints-against-keyes-dermer/|title=Civil Service Commission looking into complaints against Keyes, Dermer|last=Ahren|first=Raphael|website=www.timesofisrael.com|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-11}} Two months later, the commission closed its case, with its spokesperson stating that while Keyes may have acted improperly, it did not constitute a criminal or disciplinary offense.{{Cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-sexual-misconduct-case-against-netanyahu-spokesman-keyes-closed-1.6699860|title=Sexual Misconduct Case Against Netanyahu Spokesman Keyes Closed|last=Heruti-Sover|first=Tali|date=2018-11-29|work=Haaretz|access-date=2019-07-01|language=en}} "There is no evidence or even a snippet of evidence to indicate a disciplinary offense or an act that constitutes sexual harassment by Keyes during the time he served as a civil servant," the commission said in a letter, but that its decision "does not determine anything regarding other questions that were raised concerning the allegations against Keyes, including the question of whether he is fit to serve in his role." The commissioner, Prof. Hershkovitz explained that his reason for closing the enquiry was that the alleged offences had taken place before Mr Keyes was a government employee and that no criminal complaint had been registered with the police. On 12 December 2018, Keyes resigned from his post.{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/netanyahu-s-adviser-accused-sexual-assault-including-ny-politician-resigns-n947041|title=Netanyahu's adviser accused of sexual assault, including by NY politician, resigns|website=NBC News|date=12 December 2018 |accessdate=20 December 2018}} Keyes released a statement after his resignation, saying, "I thank the Israel Civil Service Commission for closing its probe against me, stating 'There is no evidence or even a shred of evidence' of wrongdoing as an employee of the government."{{Cite web|title=Netanyahu's Public Diplomacy Adviser steps down|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/256093|last=Keidar|first=Nitsan|date=13 December 2018|website=Israel National News|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302083341/https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/256093 |archive-date=2 March 2021 }}

Following Keyes' resignation, Netanyahu published a statement praising Keyes for his work{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/f6a3109a467f4bbd8decbc4363038ab9|title=Netanyahu's adviser accused of sexual assault resigns|date=2018-12-12|website=AP NEWS|access-date=2019-07-14}} saying, "I thank David Keyes for his great contribution to Israel's information effort. David pioneered groundbreaking videos which presented basic facts about Israel and enabled me to present Israel's policies to a global audience. Millions of people around the world viewed these videos with appreciation, and the messages aimed at the Iranian public were received with particular enthusiasm by many Iranian citizens. All this attests to David's talents and his contribution. I wish him much success on his future course."{{Cite web|url=https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/politics/190845-181212-netanyahu-formally-separates-from-spokesman-embroiled-in-sexual-abuse-scandal|title=i24NEWS|website=www.i24news.tv|access-date=2019-06-19}}

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