The attorney general based her statement on the investigation presented by the Keshet 12 channel, according to which Sarah Netanyahu used a network of Likud activists to pressure political opponents and a key witness in her trial. husband.
Israel’s attorney general has ordered police to open an investigation into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife on suspicion of harassing political opponents and a witness in the Israeli leader’s corruption trial.
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara made the announcement Thursday, saying the investigation would focus on the findings of a damning report broadcast by Keshet 12 (Channel 12).
The journalistic investigation uncovered a set of WhatsApp messages which indicate that Sara Netanyahu had ordered Hanni Bleiweiss, her husband’s former assistant, who died last year of cancer, to orchestrate demonstrations and an online harassment campaign, using bots, against Hadas Klein, a key witness in one of the three corruption cases involving the head of government.
The attorney general did not mention Ms. Netanyahu by name, and the Justice Department declined to make further comment.
Adas Klein, former assistant to film producer Arnon Milchan, would have been the preferred target of activists from Likud, Netanyahu’s party.
Responding to questions from the judges, as part of the “gift trial”, Ms Klein described numerous episodes during which she had to smuggle cigars, jewelry and rosé champagne worth tens of thousands of euros to the Netanyahu couple. According to her, these were not gifts, but demands from the family of the head of government. S
According to Keshet 12’s “Ouvda” show, Bleiweiss was also ordered to stage protests in front of the homes of the lead prosecutor in the corruption case, Liat Ben-Ari, and the attorney general. then-Avichai Mandelblit, who issued the indictments, as well as protests and social media campaigns aimed at smearing political opponents.
According to the report, Ms. Bleiweiss was a loyal aide to Mr. Netanyahu for decades. But while she was ill, Sara Netanyahu allegedly mistreated her, prompting her to share the messages with a journalist shortly before her death.
The show’s authors claim that Yair Netanyahu, the prime minister’s son, visited Bleiweiss’ family shortly after his death to prevent his cell phone and all his correspondence from falling.in the wrong hands“.
Sara Netanyahu has previously been accused of abusive behavior towards her staff. These accusations, along with those of excessive spending and using public money for his extravagant personal tastes, have earned him the image of someone out of touch with Israelis.
In 2019, she was found guilty of misusing public funds for food expenses.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who oversees the police and has repeatedly suggested that Attorney General Baharav-Miara should be fired over a series of grievances against her, said that the latest announcement was yet another reason to remove her from office.
“Someone who politically persecutes government ministers and their families cannot continue to serve as Attorney General“, he added.
In a video posted Thursday, Benjamin Netanyahu called the broadcast “propaganda that brings lies out of the dark“.
“My left-wing opponents and the media have found a new target. They mercilessly attack my wife, Sara“, he denounced.
Legal setbacks
This case is the latest in a long series of legal troubles for the Netanyahu couple.
The prime minister is accused of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes from media moguls in three separate cases.
The head of government denies the accusations and says he is the victim of a “witch hunt” led by overzealous prosecutors, police and media.