Orin Julie, also known on social media as The Queen of Guns, is a veteran of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Having nearly 600K followers on Instagram, Julie has turned her fame into a business and manages a company called Alpha Gun Marketing, which specializes in social media marketing for gun companies.
A video from Israeli news channel i24NEWS featuring Orin as she posed firing huge machine-guns and covered in fake blood spatter was shared online.
Israel is trying to make killing Palestinians look sexy. pic.twitter.com/z20wAeoRZe
— CJ Werleman (@cjwerleman) November 11, 2019
Many reacted furiously to the video and found it to be distasteful particularly as the Israeli military is often criticized for using violence and disproportionate force against Palestinians. Some described it as glorifying this violence.
Glamourizing the genocide. These *******ers can do anything for their own good and still be heroes.
— Salman Ahmed (@Ahmed_Salman_7) November 11, 2019
Killing people is sexy for ghouls and vultures. #Israel
— Thass (@Thass283) November 12, 2019
On her Instagram page Orin shares images and videos of herself, sometimes in skimpy outfits or provocative poses as she promotes her weapons, which some have criticized as an example of romanticizing guns.
In the i24News video Orin says she hopes she will be invited to the White House for her next gun calendar shoot, triggering critics to call her out for her ambitions.
They want to be invited to White House for stealing land, arresting children, bulldozing Palestinian homes & burning Palestinian olive trees? Why don’t they do these things around White House? ?#shameonisrael
— ♥ (@billunai2) November 11, 2019
Some people attributed her fascination with guns to gun culture in the US where the second amendment right to bear arms remains a hot issue.
Yeah, just like the USA, who keeps making school-shootings sexy. /s
— Alex (@ken8b5) November 11, 2019
There were people who came to her defense, however, suggesting she was simply marketing her brand, not making a political statement.
That girl is doing modelling for her living with some out of box idea
— half punch man (@hunkmaximus) November 12, 2019
But you make it look like something else
Thats American way of defence sales adopted by Israelis
Some pro-Israeli Twitter users tried to tear down the argument that Orin was glorifying IDF violence against Palestinians by drawing a parallel between her campaign and armed groups in Palestine.
they are taking pictures with a weapon, not taking pictures while killing,
— Leon Danilov (@LeonDanilov1) November 11, 2019
it's not Israel, it's a few girls.
Did you ever have a glance at the Hamas or other Palestinians? how they make sending artillery towards Israel look good?
Bro, you're delusional, a blind Sheep.
Orin served in the military for three years and two months. Today she’s still on duty as a reserve in the Sword battalion working to promote the IDF on social media.