The leader of the Israeli opposition party The Democrats, Yair Golan, has sued Sara Netanyahu, wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for damages after insinuating that she had prior knowledge of the attacks carried out by Palestinian militias on October 7, 2023, against Israel.
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“Paranoia, apparently, is a family business. Last week, Netanyahu’s wife invented lies about an alleged betrayal. Today, Netanyahu himself pulls out of thin air a secret conspiracy between Shlomi Eldar and me. All this, just to try to evade his responsibility for the worst disaster in Israel’s history,” he stated on social media.
Golan explained that Netanyahu’s behavior is based on “desperate lies,” alluding to the fact that the prime minister is becoming “more dangerous” as “the political noose” tightens. “When he sees he is going to lose power, there is no limit he is not willing to cross to divert attention,” he argued.
He also stated that “his attempts to wash his bloodstained hands will not work.” “We will fight for the truth, create a state investigation commission, and ensure that those responsible pay before the justice system,” he concluded.
The opposition leader demands 2.55 million new shekels (719,800 euros) from Netanyahu’s wife for damages after she insinuated during an interview that she had prior knowledge of the attack, questioning that he drove to the site of the Nova music festival massacre and rescued several people.
In particular, Sara Netanyahu suggested that Golan already had prior knowledge of October 7, alleging that the opposition figure and military man “was in the attack area early in the morning, already dressed and ready at a very, very early hour” while the prime minister himself, according to her, was not aware.
Subsequently, Golan sent her a letter demanding that she retract her words and make a donation to the survivors of the Nova festival massacre, although it had no effect, The Times of Israel reported.
The lawsuit comes after the prime minister announced he would sue the newspaper Haaretz and journalist Shlomi Eldar for defamation following an article in which the outlet suggested he ignored a call from the United Arab Emirates about a Hamas attack days before October 7.
“Contrary to what has been claimed, there were no conversations between the prime minister and the president of the Emirates between early September and October 7 (2023),” he said, adding that both his office and other agencies “have carefully analyzed the call records over the past few days, finding no trace of such a call.”
From Abu Dhabi, a major ally of Israel in the region, they were also very brief, stating that Emirati authorities “do not comment” on media publications “nor on speculations regarding conversations between government leaders.”
