Yair Golan Threatens Lawsuit Against Sara Netanyahu Over Defamation

Yair Golan, chairman of the "Democrats" party, has sent a legal warning letter to Sara Netanyahu, wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, demanding a public apology within 24 hours for remarks she made about him in a recent interview. The letter, sent by Golan's lawyers, alleges defamation and seeks a public apology and financial compensation to be donated to survivors of the Nova music festival massacre. If Netanyahu fails to comply, Golan intends to file a defamation lawsuit seeking at least 2.5 million shekels.

Golan's legal team claims Netanyahu's statements, made during an interview on Channel 14, falsely portray him as complicit in treason and are part of a deliberate effort to damage his reputation ahead of elections. They stated that Golan will not allow attempts to rewrite history and diminish the heroism of soldiers, reservists, civilians, and volunteers who responded on October 7th.

In the interview, Sara Netanyahu implied that Golan had prior knowledge of the Hamas attack, suggesting he was dressed and ready early on October 7th, before others, including the Prime Minister, were aware. She questioned why the Prime Minister would need to be informed of an impending war, speaking sarcastically. When asked about a "betrayal theory," she expressed reluctance to discuss it and opposed a state inquiry commission, stating she wanted a "real commission for investigation."

Golan himself stated that attempts are being made to rewrite the events of October 7th to absolve Netanyahu of responsibility for what he called the greatest failure in the country's history. He accused them of trying to brand those who defended the country as traitors and those who allegedly funded Hamas and neglected security as victims. Golan asserted this is an attack on a broad group of fighters, volunteers, and citizens who stepped up when the Netanyahu government collapsed, and vowed to establish a state commission of inquiry to uncover the truth and identify those responsible for the failures.