In Israel, Yair Golan sues Sara Netanyahu for 2.55 million shekels
In Israel, Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats faction, has filed a 2.55 million shekel defamation lawsuit against Sara Netanyahu with the Central District Court in Lod. According to Golan, the wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu endangered his life by implying that he knew in advance about Hamas’ October 7 attack.
As The Jerusalem Post reports, the plaintiff is asking the court to award damages from Netanyahu and order her to publish a correction and clarification.
Essence of the lawsuit
The dispute arose after Sara Netanyahu’s August 31 interview with Channel 14. She questioned how Golan, a former deputy chief of the Israel Defense Forces General Staff, came to be in the country’s south on the morning of the attack.
Netanyahu said that a military officer of such rank who claims to have fought on October 7 was at the scene very early, dressed and prepared, while others, including the prime minister, still did not know about the attack. Golan says an ordinary viewer could interpret these remarks as suggesting that he knew about the attack before it began, did not warn others, and may have been involved in betraying the country.
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Netanyahu’s position
The lawsuit also states that Sara Netanyahu questioned Golan’s documented rescue actions, noting that he allegedly claims to have fought that day.
Netanyahu rejected this interpretation. In response to a warning letter sent by Golan on September 1, she said her remarks had been distorted and that the sarcasm was directed at those who, in her view, had not promptly informed the prime minister about the attack. Later during the interview, she said that she was not part of theories about betrayal on October 7.
The Likud party also stated that Sara Netanyahu had not made claims about a conspiracy. Benjamin Netanyahu later said that October 7 was not a betrayal but a failure. The court is to assess how a reasonable viewer could understand the interview as a whole.
