Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Son Yair Changes Name to Jonathan Hon

Yair Netanyahu, son of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara, has recently changed his name to Jonathan Hon, according to official tax authority documents obtained by the newspaper Haaretz. The 34-year-old made the change over the past year and a half, adopting the first name Jonathan in honor of his late uncle, Yonatan Netanyahu, who was killed 50 years ago while leading the rescue team in Operation Entebbe in Uganda. The surname Hon is the original family name of Sara Netanyahu’s father, before it was Hebraized to Ben-Artzi. Yair’s recent Instagram posts sparked speculation about changes in his appearance, but the name change marks a more significant personal shift.

This is not the first time a member of the Netanyahu family has altered their name. Yair’s younger brother, Avner Netanyahu, changed his name to Avi Segal about five years ago, adopting their grandmother’s original surname for security and anonymity reasons while living in Oxford, England. Prime Minister Netanyahu himself changed his name in his youth while living in the United States to Benjamin Ben Nitai, using "Nitai" as a pen name his father had used in some writings.

The name changes within the family reflect both personal and security considerations, as well as a connection to family heritage. Yair’s choice honors his uncle’s legacy and reclaims a family surname from his maternal grandfather’s side. The move has attracted public attention amid ongoing interest in the Netanyahu family’s private lives.