Israel's attorney general ordered the police to open an investigation Prime Minister Benjamin NetanyahuThe Iraqi wife is suspected of stalking political opponents and is a witness in the Israeli leader's corruption trial.
Israel's Justice Ministry made the announcement in a brief statement late Thursday, saying the investigation will focus on the findings of a recent Uvda investigative program report on Sarah Netanyahu.
The program uncovered scores of WhatsApp messages in which Ms. Netanyahu appears to have instructed a former aide to organize protests against political opponents and to intimidate Hadas Klein, a key witness in the trial.
The report did not mention Ms. Netanyahu by name, and the Justice Ministry declined to comment further.
But in a video released earlier Thursday, Netanyahu listed what he said were his wife's many good and charitable deeds and called the Uvda report “a lie.”
“My opponents on the left and in the media have found a new and old target. They are mercilessly attacking my wife Sara,” he said. He called the program “false propaganda, disgusting propaganda that brings up lies from the dark.”
It was the latest in a long line of legal problems for Netanyahu – underlines the trial in the case of corruption of the prime minister continues. The couple also had a difficult relationship with the Israeli media.
Netanyahu faces charges of fraud, breach of trust and bribery in a series of cases that allege he exchanged pleasantries with powerful media moguls and wealthy associates. Netanyahu denies the allegations 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. Reports indicated that Sara Netanyahu called on the police to crack down on them anti-government protesters and ordered Bleiweis to organize protests against her husband's critics. She also told Bleiweiss to force activists in Netanyahu's Likud party to publish attacks on Klein.
Klein is an assistant to billionaire Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan and testified in a corruption trial about her role in delivering tens of thousands of dollars worth of champagne, cigars and gifts to Netanyahu for her boss.
According to the report, Sara Netanyahu mistreated Bleiweiss, prompting her to share the messages with the reporter shortly before her death.
Sara Netanyahu has previously been accused of abusive behavior towards her staff. This along with accusations of excessive spending and use of public money because of her own extravagant personal tastes, earned her the image of being out of touch with ordinary Israelis. In 2019, she was fined for misuse of state funds.
Minister of National Security Ithamar Ben-Gvir, who oversees the police and has repeatedly said that Prosecutor General Gali Baharav Miar should be fired because of a series of insults against her, said the latest report was another reason for her dismissal.
“Someone who politically persecutes government ministers and their families cannot continue to serve as the Attorney General,” he said.
And Justice Minister Yariv Levin, another Netanyahu ally and critic of Baharov Miari, accused her of focusing on “television gossip.”
“Selective charging is a crime!” he said in a statement.