Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, had to be rescued by hundreds of police on Wednesday night after being trapped for hours by anti-judicial reform protesters in Tel Aviv.
The incident began when protesters identified Sara Netanyahu entering a hair salon. Thousands of protesters converged on the scene, shouting “she won’t be allowed to leave the barber shop” and “shame.”
Police first blocked the entrance to the hair salon the premier’s wife was in to prevent protesters from entering, while mounted officers were called to the scene to reinforce the perimeter. Clashes broke out between the protesters and police.
Security forces were able to extract her from the site at around 11 p.m.
While the incident was still ongoing, Prime Minister Netanyahu condemned the protesters on Twitter: “The anarchistic activists under the leadership of [opposition leader Yair] Lapid continue to cross red lines. They are currently harassing and threatening my wife in Tel Aviv. I call on Lapid and the opposition to stop this immediately and condemn this shameful, unprecedented act.”
פעילי האנרכיה בהנהגת לפיד ממשיכים לחצות קווים אדומים. כרגע הם צרים ומאיימים על רעייתי בתל אביב. אני קורא ללפיד ולאופוזיציה להפסיק זאת מייד ולגנות מעשה מביש זה שלא היה כדוגמתו.
— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) March 1, 2023
Netanyahu spoke out against the violent protests roiling the country earlier that evening in a televised address to the nation.
“Freedom of protest is not a license to drag the country into anarchy and chaos. A sovereign state cannot tolerate anarchy,” he said.
