Israeli Attorney General Orders Investigation into Harassment Allegations Against Netanyahu’s Wife Sara – Firstpost

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 in a terse message late Thursday, saying the investigation would focus on the findings of a recent report by the investigative program “Uvda” on Sara Netanyahu.

The program uncovered a trove of WhatsApp messages in which Ms Netanyahu appears to instruct a former aide to stage 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 Ministry declined to comment further.

But in a video released earlier Thursday, Netanyahu listed what he said were his wife’s many acts of charity and blasted 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 from the dark.”

It was the latest in a long line of legal troubles for Netanyahu — highlighted by the prime minister’s ongoing corruption trial. The two also had a difficult relationship with the Israeli press.

Netanyahu is accused of fraud, breach of trust and bribery in a series of cases in which they allege he exchanged favors 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.

The report obtained correspondence between Sara Netanyahu and Hanni Bleiweiss, a former adviser to the prime minister who died of cancer last year. The messages indicated that Sara Netanyahu, through Bleiweiss, encouraged the police to violently crack down on anti-government protesters and ordered Bleiweiss to organize protests against her husband’s critics. She also told Bleiweiss to get activists in Netanyahu’s Likud party to publicize the attacks on Klein.

Klein is an adviser to billionaire Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan and testified in the corruption case about her role in providing tens of thousands of dollars worth of champagne, cigars and gifts to Netanyahu for her boss.

According to the report, Bleiweiss was also instructed to organize demonstrations outside the homes of lead corruption prosecutor Liat Ben-Ari and then-indicting Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, and protests and social media campaigns which calms political politics. opponents.

According to the report, Bleiweiss has been a loyal Netanyahu aide for decades. But while she was ill, Sara Netanyahu was said to have abused her, prompting her to share the messages with a reporter shortly before her death.

Sara Netanyahu has also been accused of abusive behavior towards her personal staff. This, along with accusations of overspending and using public money for her own extravagant personal tastes, earned her an image of being out of touch with ordinary Israelis. In 2019, she was fined for misusing state funds.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who oversees the police and has repeatedly said Attorney General Baharav-Miara should be fired for a series of grievances against her, said the latest announcement is another reason she to be dismissed.

“Someone who politically persecutes government 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 “TV gossip.”

“Selective execution is a crime!” he said in a statement.