First Lady Netanyahu Criticized by Democrats Over Golan Remarks

The Democratic Party has sharply criticized Sara Netanyahu, wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, following her remarks about Yair Golan, chairman of the party, during an exclusive interview with Channel 14. The party accused Netanyahu of "spreading conspiracies" against Golan and also criticized the television channel for broadcasting the interview.

During the interview, Netanyahu referred to an incident where a Tel Aviv hair salon she was in was surrounded by protesters. While criticizing Golan's response to that event, she also mentioned his actions on the morning of October 7th. Netanyahu stated, "When you are a military man of such a high rank, claiming you are a fighter on October 7th, you were already there early in the morning, dressed and ready." She questioned why the Prime Minister needed to be informed about the outbreak of war, implying he was not adequately briefed.

The Democratic Party responded forcefully, calling Netanyahu's statements "lies and slander" and "conspiracies against Major General Yair Golan, and tarnishing his bravery on October 7th, are a red line bordering on madness." They added, "While Netanyahu was running to put on makeup and look for excuses, Yair Golan charged and saved lives. The facts will not change, no matter how much the Netanyahu family and Channel 14 try to rewrite them."

However, later in the same interview, when directly asked about "betrayal theories" surrounding the October 7th events, Sara Netanyahu clarified that she does not subscribe to such theories and lacks the information to confirm them. "I don't want to talk. I am not party to any theories and I don't know," she said, suggesting that an official investigation is needed to determine what happened.

Netanyahu also reiterated her earlier point that the Prime Minister was not informed of the impending attack in the hours preceding it, stating it was "clearly not normal." She suggested that if her husband had received timely information, the government's response would have been different and the outcome of the attack might have been less severe, though she stopped short of claiming the entire attack could have been prevented.