What's New
Israeli Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara ordered an investigation on Thursday into Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's wife, Sara Netanyahu, over allegedly harassing political opponents and a witness in her husband's corruption trial.
Newsweek reached out to the prime minister's office via online form for comment Thursday afternoon.
Why It Matters
The Netanyahu family has already been swimming in legal troubles. The controversial Israeli leader is currently the subject of a long-running corruption trial after he was indicted in 2019 on charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes. Benjamin Netanyahu has denied all charges, claiming to be the victim of a "witch hunt."
Sara Netanyahu, meanwhile, has previously been accused of abusive behavior toward her personal staff and of excessive spending and using public money for her own luxurious lifestyle.
What To Know
The Israeli Justice Ministry announced Thursday that an investigation into Sara Netanyahu would focus on the findings from a recent investigative report by Israel's Channel 12 Uvda program.
The announcement did not mention Sara Netanyahu by name. The Justice Ministry declined to comment further, according to The Associated Press.
What Did The Report About Sara Netanyahu Say?
The report includes WhatsApp messages that appear to show Sara Netanyahu instructing a former aide to organize protests against political opponents and to intimidate Hadas Klein, a key witness in her husband's corruption trial.
Klein is an aide to Israeli billionaire film producer Arnon Milchan who testified in Netanyahu's corruption case about her role in delivering tens of thousands of dollars worth of champagne, cigars and gifts to the prime minister for Milchan.
Sara Netanyahu appeared to encourage police to crack down on anti-government protesters using violence and ordered Hanni Bleiweiss, a former aide to her husband, to organize protests against the prime minister's critics. She also told Bleiweiss to persuade activists in her husband's right-wing Likud party to publish attacks on Klein.
Bleiweiss, who died of cancer in 2023, was allegedly mistreated by Sara Netanyahu, prompting her to share the message with a reporter shortly before her death, according to the Uvda report.
Benjamin Netanyahu Denies Report
The prime minister called the Uvda report "lies" in a video released earlier Thursday.
"My opponents on the left and in the media found a new-old target. They mercilessly attack my wife, Sara," Netanyahu said.
He called the program "false propaganda, nasty propaganda that brings up lies from the darkness," while painting Sara Netanyahu in a good light by detailing what he said were the many kind and charitable acts by his wife.
What People Have Said
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has repeatedly called for Baharav Miara to be fired over multiple grievances against her, said the Justice Ministry's Thursday announcement was another reason for her to be dismissed.
"Someone who politically persecutes government ministers and their families cannot continue to serve as the attorney general," he said.
Justice Minister Yariv Levin, another ally of the prime minister and critic of Baharav Miara, accused the attorney general of focusing on "television gossip" in a statement that also said, "Selective enforcement is a crime!"
What Happens Next
The Netanyahus will now have to balance Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial and the potential new probe into Sara Netanyahu amid mounting criticism of the prime minister's handling of the Israeli-Hamas war.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is seeking an arrest warrant for Netanyahu on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for the war in Gaza. Netanyahu has called the charges "absurd and false."
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
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