Sara Netanyahu, the spouse of the Israeli prime minister, is facing a potential libel lawsuit after claiming that her husband’s political opponent had foreknowledge of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks and chose not to act.
The Israeli first lady asserted in an interview with outlet Channel 14 that Yair Golan, the leader of the left-wing Democrats in the Knesset who previously served as deputy IDF chief of staff, was too prepared and too quick to act during the Oct. 7 massacre. Golan has been credited with driving to the Nova music festival venue and saving multiple lives as the terrorist attack was underway.
Recommended Stories
“When you’re a military man of such high rank, claiming that you fought on October 7 — already early in the morning you were there, already dressed and ready at a very, very early hour when others didn’t know, such as the prime minister,” Sara Netanyahu said.
Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly claimed that he was not woken up by his security officials in the lead-up to the Oct. 7 attacks, despite intelligence indicating that the attack was forthcoming. He maintains that if he had been alerted to the situation, he would have prevented the massacre.
“Who is the prime minister anyway to know that a war is breaking out?” Sara Netanyahu said in the interview. “Why let him know?”
An August poll conducted by Channel 13 found that 40% of Israelis believe that treasonous behavior within the government or military contributed to the Oct. 7 attacks. That portion grows to 63% among supporters of Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition.
Benjamin Netanyahu continues to claim that “intelligence failures” were among the root causes of the massacre but has distanced himself from accusations of treason.
Golan did not receive the first lady’s accusation quietly, telling outlet Army Radio in a Tuesday interview that he “will definitely file a lawsuit against Sara Netanyahu.”
The same day, he issued a statement via social media reporting that he had filed a warning letter against Sara Netanyahu, urging her to pay a voluntary sum of money and issue an apology within 24 hours.
“An apology within 24 hours and compensation that will be donated to survivors of the Nova, or a lawsuit for 2.5 million shekels,” Golan said on Tuesday. “Sarah Netanyahu spread a false conspiracy in an attempt to rewrite October 7, turning those who went out to save lives into traitors and those who abandoned Israel’s security into victims.”
“We will not allow them to erase the truth and the heroism of the fighters, the volunteers, and the civilians who stepped up when the government collapsed,” he continued. “We will establish a state commission of inquiry, expose the truth, and find those responsible for the failure.”
Sara Netanyahu is not the only familial relation of the prime minister who has waded into accusations of treason. Her son, Yair Netanyahu, slammed the IDF in June after a planned investigation into the massacre was suspended by the Israeli High Court due to questions of purview.
VANCE DELIVERS SPEECH IN ATTEMPT TO WIN OVER PRO-ISRAEL REPUBLICANS
“What are they trying to hide? If there was no treason, why are they so afraid for external and independent parties to check what happened?” Yair Netanyahu said. “To this day, no answer has been given for why they didn’t update the prime minister about the discussion held the night before 10/7.”
Yair Netanyahu was “urgently evacuated” from his home in Miami, Florida, last month amid alleged threats from Iranian operatives in the area.
