Israeli PM’s wife accused of witness intimidation, harassment

Several police complaints have been filed against Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu due to allegations of witness intimidation and harassment revealed by Israel’s Channel 12 investigative programme, Uvda.

The complaints include attempts to intimidate a witness in the prime minister’s criminal trial and incite harassment against legal officials and critics of the Netanyahu family.

According to the Times of Israel, witness intimidation and subverting testimony carry penalties of up to three and seven years in prison.

The Uvda report shared messages from Benjamin Netanyahu’s late aide, Hanni Bleiweiss, stating Sara Netanyahu and the prime minister’s son were involved in efforts to undermine political opponents, influence his corruption trial, and target protesters, while seeking to reward compliant police officers.

Sara Netanyahu allegedly directed Bleiweiss to organise Likud activists to harass their neighbours for opposing the prime minister.

Moreover, according to Uvda, WhatsApp messages from Bleiweiss’s phone revealed that Sara also instructed activists to target Hadas Klein, a key witness in one of Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption cases, with protests and harassment near her home before or during her court testimony.

READ: Nationwide protests erupt in Israel to demand Netanyahu’s resignation

The report further revealed she ordered similar intimidation tactics against former Israeli Attorney General, Avichai Mandelblit, and Deputy State Attorney, Liat Ben Ari.

Israeli Labor MK, Naama Lazim, led a wave of complaints against Sara Netanyahu, urging authorities to investigate her alleged actions. She filed complaints with the attorney general, the head of Israel Police’s Lahav 433 unit, and State Attorney Amit Aisman, reported the Times of Israel. 

Three of her parliamentary aides also filed complaints at the Lev Tel Aviv Police Station and created a WhatsApp group to guide others in submitting online complaints, which attracted over a thousand members.

“Sara Netanyahu must be investigated,” Lazimi wrote on Twitter, criticising the lack of immediate police action and calling for public pressure to prompt an inquiry.

The Likud party dismissed the allegations, accusing opponents of using false claims to target Prime Minister Netanyahu and his wife amid his ongoing corruption trial, where he faces charges of fraud, breach of trust and bribery.

The Movement for Integrity in Government (Telem) also called for an investigation, stating that Sara Netanyahu’s alleged actions might constitute witness harassment, subverting testimony, or obstruction of justice under Israeli law. Telem sent a formal letter to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara requesting immediate action.

“Sara Netanyahu’s actions raise serious suspicion of criminal offenses of subverting testimony, or, alternatively, harassment of a witness, offences under Sections 246 and 249 of the Penal Code, and possibly even the offense of obstruction of justice under Section 244 of the Penal Code, in relation to the actions against the then attorney general and state attorney [official] Liat Ben Ari,” Telem wrote in its letter to the attorney general.

READ: Netanyahu to skip Auschwitz liberation ceremony fearing arrest