Israel’s Attorney General orders investigation into allegations Netanyahu’s wife harassed opponents

Israel’s Attorney General has ordered the police to open an investigation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuwife for allegedly torturing political opponents and a witness in the Israeli leader’s corruption trial.

The Ministry of Justice of Israel made this announcement in a short message last Thursday, saying that the investigation will focus on the findings of the latest report of the “Uvda” investigative program about Sara Netanyahu.

The program revealed dozens of WhatsApp messages in which Mrs. Netanyahu appeared to order her former aide to organize protests against political opponents and threaten Hadas Klein, a key witness in the case.

This announcement did not say Ms. Netanyahu by name, and the Justice Department declined to comment further.

But in a video released last Thursday, Netanyahu documented what he said were many acts of kindness and generosity by his wife and blasted the Uvda report as “false.”

“My opponents on the left and in the media found a new goal. They attacked my wife, Sara mercilessly,” he said. He called the program “false propaganda, evil propaganda that reveals lies from the dark.”

It was the latest in a long line of legal troubles for the Netanyahus – highlighted by the ongoing corruption case of the prime minister. They also had a bad relationship with the Israeli media.

Netanyahu faces charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in a series of indictments they have each other and powerful media professionals and rich friends. Netanyahu denies the charges and says he is the victim of a “witch hunt” by overzealous prosecutors, police and the media.

The report found letters between Sara Netanyahu and Hanni Bleiweiss, a former aide to the prime minister who died of cancer last year. These messages revealed that Sara Netanyahu encouraged the police to attack with violence anti-government protesters and ordered Bleiweiss to organize demonstrations against her husband’s critics. He also told Bleiweiss that he had asked activists from Netanyahu’s Likud party to publish an attack on Klein.

Klein is an assistant to Hollywood billionaire Arnon Milchan and has testified in a corruption trial about his role in bringing tens of thousands of dollars in champagne, cigarettes and gifts to Netanyahu for his boss.

According to the report, Sara Netanyahu treated Bleiweiss badly, prompting him to share the messages with the reporter shortly before his death.

Sara Netanyahu has been accused of misbehaving with her staff in the past. This, and the cases of overspending and spending public money with his own impressive self-interest, he has created an impression that he is not associated with Israelis every day. In 2019, he was fined for misusing state funds.

Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, who oversees the police and has repeatedly said that Attorney General Gali Baharav Miara should be fired for the series of complaints against him, said the latest announcement is another reason for him to be fired.

“A person who politically abuses government ministers and their families cannot continue to be the attorney general,” he said.

And Justice Minister Yariv Levin, another Netanyahu ally and critic of Baharav Miara, accused him of focusing on “television gossip.”

“Law enforcement is a crime!” he said in a statement.