Netanyahu's Wife and Opposition Leader Trade Legal Threats Over Oct. 7 Claims

Sara Netanyahu, wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has responded to a legal warning from Yair Golan, chairman of the Democratic Party, by issuing her own warning and demanding an apology. Golan had threatened to sue Netanyahu for 2.5 million shekels if she did not publicly apologize for statements she allegedly made about his actions on October 7. In her response, Netanyahu accused Golan of falsely attributing conspiracy theories to her and called his claims "wild, completely baseless lies" intended to incite hatred.

Her lawyer, Uriel Nizri, stated that Netanyahu spoke only of established facts, not conspiracy theories. He asserted that it is undisputed that Golan was in the Gaza border areas on October 7 and that the Prime Minister was informed later by the military. Nizri claimed Netanyahu's words were a sarcastic remark directed at those who failed to report to the Prime Minister promptly, and that Golan "cynically and disgracefully" misused her statement.

Netanyahu also holds Golan personally responsible for an incident on March 1, 2023, during protests against the judicial reform, where she claims Golan "seriously endangered her physical and mental well-being" during an "illegal siege, attack, and unlawful detention" at a Tel Aviv hair salon. She demanded Golan issue a public apology and clarification across all media, stating she spoke facts, not conspiracies, and express regret for the distortion of her words and the 2023 incident.

Furthermore, Netanyahu demanded the removal of relevant publications and a 100,000 shekel payment within 48 hours to a pre-military academy that lost graduates in the "War of Return." If Golan fails to comply, Netanyahu threatened to sue him for 1 million shekels, emphasizing this is a minimum amount excluding legal costs.

The dispute originated from an interview Netanyahu gave to Channel 14, where Golan alleged she repeated conspiracy theories questioning his presence near Gaza on October 7. Golan called her statements severe defamation and demanded an apology and compensation for survivors of the Nova festival, accusing her of attempting to rewrite history and obscure government responsibility for the security failure. He proposed an apology text for Netanyahu to sign, acknowledging her words were false and that Golan learned of the Hamas attack after the first sirens at 6:29 AM before heading to the border areas and rescuing festival-goers. Golan's lawyers argue Netanyahu's statements imply his involvement in treason and are a deliberate attempt to damage his reputation before elections.