Sara Netanyahu and Yair Golan file mutual defamation lawsuits — Jerusalem Post
Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Yair Golan, the leader of the Democrats party, have filed defamation lawsuits against each other following her remarks about the events of October 7. As The Jerusalem Post reports, the dispute has drawn attention to the question of why Netanyahu was not awakened during overnight consultations among security officials before the Hamas attack.
Sara Netanyahu’s remarks
In an interview with Channel 14, Sara Netanyahu mentioned that Golan was in southern Israel in military uniform early on October 7. She said he was ready to act at a time when others, including the prime minister, allegedly still did not know about the situation, and sarcastically asked why the head of government should be informed about the start of the war.
The publication noted that her words could have been perceived as an insinuation that Golan knew about the attack in advance. Golan himself headed to the south of the country after the attack began to help people. He filed a defamation lawsuit, alleging the dissemination of conspiracy claims, while Sara Netanyahu filed a countersuit.
Sara Netanyahu’s lawyer stated that she had not spread conspiracy theories and had spoken only about facts that, according to him, are not disputed. When asked about the “betrayal theory,” she replied that she did not want to discuss the issue, did not support any theories, and favored a genuine commission of inquiry.
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The prime minister’s position
Benjamin Netanyahu said after his wife’s interview that he does not consider the events a betrayal, but called them a major failure. According to him, at around 3:00, several hours before the attack began at 6:29, a meeting of senior security officials took place, but he was not awakened.
The prime minister claims that the then heads of the Israel Defense Forces, the Shin Bet security service, and military intelligence were aware of warning signs. According to his version, the participants in the consultation considered Hamas deterred and feared that large-scale steps could cause unnecessary escalation.
Unsubstantiated accusations
In the public discussion, a version was voiced alleging that representatives of the security leadership, including Golan, knew in advance that an attack was inevitable and deliberately did not inform Netanyahu in order to harm his government. The Jerusalem Post notes that no evidence has been presented to support this accusation. Netanyahu himself did not directly accuse officials of deliberate betrayal.
