The attorney of Sara Netanyahu, wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, sent a letter on Saturday evening to the attorney general and the state attorney, accusing them of going on a “hunting expedition” to negatively influence her husband’s court cases after they ordered the opening of an investigation against her.
The letter accused the two officials of engaging in “an ugly campaign, which seems to have been made with improper motives of influencing the legal process in the prime minister’s cases.”
On Dec. 26, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and State Attorney Amit Aisman ordered a probe against Sara Netanyahu on suspicion of harassing witnesses and obstructing justice in the prime minister’s cases after the “Uvda” investigative television program last week accused her of orchestrating a campaign against several of her husband’s opponents.
The TV investigation, which aired last week, claimed that Netanyahu’s wife was behind an online campaign and demonstrations outside the homes of the main prosecutor in the Netanyahu trial, Deputy State Attorney Liat Ben Ari, and the main witness in Case 1000 against him, Hadas Klein, a former personal assistant to billionaire Arnon Milchan.
The prime minister is accused of receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts from Milchan in exchange for favors, part of three cases in which he is facing bribery and breach-of-trust charges. He began his testimony on Dec. 10.
In WhatsApp messages featured on the program, Sara Netanyahu appears to instruct an aide to organize protests against opponents and intimidate Klein. In one, she wrote, “Need to go against Hadas Klein, Arnon Milchan’s secretary, who has been slandering us for years. Lying, dirty, depraved. Needs to be exposed.”
Shortly afterwards, online posts appeared against Klein, according to the TV report.
Following the broadcast, Klein filed a complaint with the attorney general against Netanyahu, alleging obstruction of justice and harassment. Dozens of others also filed complaints with the police against her.
In the letter, Sara Netanyahu’s attorney Uriel Hur Nizari called the decision to open an investigation “baseless” and accused the attorney general and state attorney of acting based on political motives.
Nizari said the investigation isn’t based on any facts other than the “Uvda” program and is attempting to paint lawful protest as a crime.
“It is clear that there is a desire to look for offenses and invent offenses, all with the clear intention of harming a sitting prime minister by improper means and trampling on the democratic choice of the people of Israel by initiating futile legal and criminal proceedings, in order to intimidate Israeli democracy,” he said.
On Thursday, the prime minister posted a video to social video defending his wife and accusing the “left and the media” of engaging in “character assassination” against his wife, “who has done so much for the citizens of the State of Israel.
“There is no limit to the lies. There is no limit to the despicable fictions, facts taken out of context, fake news, brainwashing,” he said.
‘She is against us’
Justice Minister Yariv Levin of the Likud Party criticized Baharav-Miara for “selective enforcement” and said the accusations were “television gossip.”
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana accused Baharav-Miara of running a selective policy “on a certain side of the political map.”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for Baharav-Miara to be fired in a post on X on Thursday. “Someone who persecutes government ministers and their families politically cannot continue to serve as the attorney general. It is a shame that there are still those who bury their heads in the sand and refuse to understand this,” he wrote.
Ben-Gvir has been among the most vocal members of the Netanyahu government pushing to remove Baharav-Miara from office.
Earlier this month, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi unveiled a campaign to dismiss Baharav-Miara. The move garnered support from 13 of the 33 members of the Cabinet.
The pressure to remove Baharav-Miara is part of a broader conflict between the government and the judiciary.
She has been at odds with the coalition on several fronts, including her opposition to bills expanding police use of spyware and changes to television ratings measurements. She has also clashed with the government over haredi military draft exemptions and day-care subsidies.
In early November, the prime minister tasked Levin with finding a solution to what he said was the ongoing opposition of the attorney general to his government.
During a Cabinet discussion on Nov. 4, Netanyahu said, “We saw what was approved in the previous government—illegal [natural] gas agreements [with Lebanon], [senior] appointments by a transitional government. It’s impossible to work like this. I’m asking Yariv [Levin] for a proposal on how to solve it. She is against us.”
A statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office after the meeting read: “Following severe criticism by the government ministers of the attorney general, the prime minister clarified that the attorney general is expected to assist the government in implementing the government’s decisions and promoting bills on its behalf—and not the other way around.”