Wednesday's appearance on YouTube's World View Project provided Netanyahu an outlet with far fewer pitfalls. He's the third world leader to appear on the program, following President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron.
Questions were selected from more than 3,670 queries submitted by YouTube users from nearly 90 countries, including from Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt, Jordan and Pakistan, and voted on by others.
The questions, published ahead of time, included his handling of the prisoner swap negotiations for abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, the impasse in negotiations with the Palestinians, Israel's West Bank settlement building and the recent upheavals in the Middle East.
Netanyahu's office insisted it was not trying to get around the traditional media.
"We understand the importance of new media in the modern world - it allows the prime minister to speak to the people without filters, so that people can ask him question without filters," said spokesman Mark Regev. "But I don't think that it has to come at the expense of the traditional media."