Netanyahu's Wife Rejects Demand for Apology from Opposition Leader

Sara Netanyahu, wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has rejected a demand for an apology from Yair Golan, chairman of the opposition party, the Democrats. Golan had called for Netanyahu to apologize for allegedly spreading a conspiracy theory about his actions on October 7th.

In a statement, Sara Netanyahu responded, "I will not apologize, you are the one who needs to apologize for your words and actions from the past," according to a report by Amit Segal. Earlier on Tuesday, Golan had sent a letter of warning to Sara Netanyahu, threatening legal action if she did not issue a public apology within 24 hours and pay compensation. The demand followed an interview Netanyahu gave to Channel 14, where she reportedly promoted a conspiracy theory claiming Golan arrived in southern Israel on October 7th before the Prime Minister was even aware of the war's outbreak.

Golan's proposed apology text stated that Netanyahu's remarks were "false and baseless lies." It detailed his account of October 7th, asserting he learned of the Hamas attack with the first sirens at 6:29 AM, then armed himself and drove to the Gaza border region, where he rescued six young people fleeing the Nova music festival massacre. Golan's attorneys stated that Netanyahu's words were "slanderous and false," attempting to portray him as a "partner in an act of treason" and distorting facts to harm his reputation before the upcoming elections.

The Likud party also responded to Golan's threat of a lawsuit, calling his actions "chauvinistic, bullying, and violent." The party denied that Sara Netanyahu had claimed a conspiracy, stating she said the "exact opposite" in the interview. Golan's legal team emphasized that their client "will not stand by an attempt to erase the heroism of IDF soldiers, security teams, civilians, and volunteers by rewriting history."