Netanyahu's Ex-Top Aide Recounts Alleged Violent Outburst by Sara Netanyahu
Translated & summarized from Ice by baba
Former top aide Yoav Horowitz has detailed an alleged violent incident involving Sara Netanyahu and Eli Groner in 2018. Horowitz claims Sara Netanyahu threatened Groner with a pen during a meeting, shouting and cursing. He reported the incident to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who later denied it occurred when confronted by Horowitz. The allegations resurfaced during recent interviews given by Horowitz, who has become a critic of the Netanyahus.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Former Netanyahu aide Yoav Horowitz detailed an alleged 2018 incident where Sara Netanyahu threatened Eli Groner with a pen.
- Horowitz claims he intervened, separated them, and reported the outburst to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
- The Prime Minister later denied the incident occurred when Horowitz confronted him about it.
- Horowitz alleges demands for absolute personal loyalty and aggressive family involvement in the Prime Minister's Office.
- The incident was previously reported in 2018, with the Prime Minister's Office dismissing it as "Serena-style legends."
Yoav Horowitz, a businessman who previously served as Director-General of the Prime Minister's Office and Chief of Staff for Benjamin Netanyahu for three years, has broken his silence regarding his time in the premier's inner circle. Horowitz, once considered one of Netanyahu's closest confidants, has become a vocal critic in recent years. In July and August 2026, he announced his joining of the "Yashar" movement led by Gadi Eisenkot and was appointed head of its 100-day plan team.
During interviews, Horowitz claimed that Netanyahu's office demanded absolute personal loyalty to the family and alleged aggressive involvement by Sara and Yair Netanyahu in the office's operations. Speaking on the "Political Kitchen" podcast from Knesset Channel, Horowitz detailed a specific incident from 2018 involving Sara Netanyahu and former Prime Minister's Office Director-General Eli Groner.
Horowitz recounted that during a meeting about expenses for the prime minister's private residence in Caesarea, Sara Netanyahu allegedly brandished a pen threateningly at Groner, shouting and cursing. He stated he intervened, separated them, and sent her out of the room, telling her not to speak that way. He also mentioned calling Dr. Berkovich because he felt Mrs. Netanyahu was in a "shaky state" and informed Prime Minister Netanyahu about the incident in detail.
This account aligns with a 2018 report by Channel 2 (now Channel 12), which stated that Sara Netanyahu had allegedly threatened Groner with a pen. The report followed an earlier Haaretz article suggesting a physical altercation. A spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office at the time dismissed the allegations as "more Serena-style legends."
Horowitz told the podcast hosts that he had informed Benjamin Netanyahu of the incident. Days later, when the story leaked, Horowitz advised the Prime Minister to ignore the reports, as witnesses were present. However, he later saw a video released by then-Prime Minister's spokesperson Topaz Luk, featuring the Netanyahus at a condolence visit. Horowitz confronted the Prime Minister, who denied the incident occurred, stating, "Yoav, it didn't happen."