Former employee sues Sara Netanyahu over ‘abusive and racist behaviour’

A lawsuit has been filed against Sara Netanyahu by a former manager at the Israeli Prime Minister’s residence. She is alleged to have been abusive towards her workers.

Yaakov Kadosh, who worked at the residence for five years, accuses his superior, official residence manager Efi Azoulai, of ordering him to record the conversations of other workers. He also claims to have been ordered to sign an affidavit in support of Mrs Netanyahu as a condition for continued employment.

Moreover, according to Channel 12, the lawsuit alleges mistreatment of other workers and racist conduct against employees of Ethiopian extraction, who were said to have been banned from working on the second floor following Mrs Netanyahu’s orders. “From the junior to the senior [all staff at the residence] were aware of the serious abuse of the staff, including swearing, insults, violence and fines, and were aware of the drinking habits and fits of rage… and panic of Mrs Netanyahu,” it is claimed. However, they chose to remain silent.

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Mr and Mrs Netanyahu denied the allegations yesterday, and described the accusations as “malicious lies and bloodletting of Sara Netanyahu on the eve of elections.” This was a reference to the General Election on 23 March. “The claims about her treatment of the Ethiopian community are baseless and lies,” their statement added.

This case is only the latest of several lawsuits by ex-employees against Mrs Netanyahu, who has been accused of abusive behaviour towards her personal staff before. Last year, for example, her former housekeeper, a 56-year-old immigrant from France, accused Mrs Netanyahu of harassment and abusive behaviour. In 2019, Netanyahu testified in court in a civil lawsuit in which she was the defendant. Former employee Shira Raban’s complaints included “relentless” insults by the prime minister’s wife, not being allowed to take leave when one of her children was sick, and being forced to use the washroom outside the main building.