Democrats Report Surge in Threats Against Yair Golan After First Lady's Interview

The Israeli Democratic Party has urgently appealed to the Chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Judge Noam Sohlberg, citing a significant increase in threats against party leader Yair Golan following an interview given by Sara Netanyahu, the Prime Minister's wife, on Channel 14. The party claims that after Netanyahu's remarks, there was a severe escalation in the number and severity of threats, including calls for murder and execution.

Following the interview, Golan announced his intention to file a NIS 2.5 million defamation lawsuit against Netanyahu if she does not apologize and provide compensation to Nova festival survivors. Omer Lovton Granot, the Democrats' CEO, informed Sohlberg that despite the Israel Police raising Golan's threat level to 4 out of 6, the Advisory Committee for Personal Security continues to "abandon his security and endanger his life."

Democrats allege that two of the three committee members are political appointees of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and have already publicly stated their positions. The party contends that their actions disregard their duty and disrespect Sohlberg's request to expedite security arrangements for party leaders. The Democrats are demanding that the Ministerial Committee for the Shin Bet Affairs, the final decision-making body, immediately approve enhanced security for Golan, similar to that granted to Gadi Eisenkot.

In her interview, Sara Netanyahu questioned Golan's actions on the morning of October 7th, asking why he arrived in the south so early when, according to her, Prime Minister Netanyahu was unaware of the unfolding events. She stated, "When you are a military man of such a high rank and claim to be a fighter on October 7th, you were already there early in the morning, dressed and ready. At a very, very early hour when others did not know, such as the Prime Minister." Golan, a retired Major General and former Deputy Chief of Staff, was in the Gaza envelope area on October 7th, assisting in rescue and combat operations. Netanyahu's comments raise questions about the timing of his deployment, but she presented no evidence that Golan had prior knowledge of the Hamas attack.