"In the social media, there have been tens of thousands of comments about 'King Bibi'," Zalait said on Army Radio when asked what had inspired him to create the statue.

"I simply made it a reality and put it in its deserved place, the Kings of Israel Square," he said, referring to the plaza's name before it was changed to honour Yitzhak Rabin, the Israeli prime minister assassinated by an ultranationalist Jew during a peace rally there in 1995.

Passer-by Nina Lobel said the portrayal of Netanyahu was "horrendous" and the artist had wanted "to show him as a dictator".

Shortly after city hall's deadline for the statue's removal expired, a man in the crowd pushed "King Bibi" to the ground. It made a soft "clink" as it hit the pavement and the artist, who seemed amused, took it away, still in one piece, on a truck.

Netanyahu and his wife Sara have drawn legal scrutiny and frequent headlines over whether state funds have been used to support what critics decry as their lavish lifestyle.

Both have denied any misuse of taxpayers' money.