Israel’s attorney general has ordered police to investigate Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s wife on suspicion of harassing political opponents and a witness in the corruption trial of the Israeli leader.
Israel’s Justice Ministry made the announcement in a terse message late Thursday, saying the investigation would focus on the findings of a recent report from the ‘Uvda’ investigation program into Sara Netanyahu.
The program revealed a trove of WhatsApp messages in which Mrs. Netanyahu appears to instruct a former aide to organize protests against political opponents and intimidate Hadas Klein, a key witness in the trial.
The announcement did not mention Ms. Netanyahu by name, and the Justice Department declined further comment.
But in a video released earlier Thursday, Netanyahu listed what he said were his wife’s many acts of kindness and charity and labeled the Uvda report as “lies.”
“My opponents on the left and in the media have found a new-old target. They are mercilessly attacking my wife Sara,” he said. He called the program “false propaganda, nasty propaganda that brings lies out of the darkness.”
It was the latest in a long line of legal troubles for the Netanyahus – highlighted by the the Prime Minister’s ongoing corruption trial. The pair have also had a rocky relationship with the Israeli media.
Netanyahu is accused of fraud, breach of trust and taking bribes in a series of cases in which he is accused favors exchanged with powerful media magnates and wealthy employees. Netanyahu denies the charges and says he is the victim of a “witch hunt” by overzealous prosecutors, police and the media.
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The report obtained correspondence between Sara Netanyahu and Hanni Bleiweiss, a former aide to the prime minister who died of cancer last year. The messages showed that Sara Netanyahu encouraged police to take violent action demonstrators against the government and ordered Bleiweiss to organize protests against her husband’s critics. She also told Bleiweiss to get activists from Netanyahu’s Likud party to publish attacks on Klein.
Klein is an aide to billionaire Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan and has testified in the corruption trial about her role in delivering champagne, cigars and gifts worth tens of thousands of dollars to Netanyahu for her boss.
According to the report, Sara Netanyahu abused Bleiweiss, prompting her to share the messages with a reporter shortly before her death.
Sara Netanyahu has previously been accused of abuse against her personal staff. This, along with allegations of excessive spending and use of public money because of her own extravagant personal tastes, she has been given the image of being out of touch with ordinary Israelis. In 2019, she was fined for misuse of state funds.
Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, who oversees the police and has repeatedly said that Attorney General Gali Baharav Miara should be fired over a series of grievances against her, said the latest announcement was another reason for her dismissal.
“Someone who politically persecutes ministers and their families cannot continue to serve as attorney general,” he said.
And Justice Minister Yariv Levin, another Netanyahu ally and critic of Baharav Miara, accused her of focusing on “television gossip.”
“Selective Enforcement is a Crime!” he said in a statement.
