Prime Minister’s wife accuses AG of “terrorizing Israeli democracy” by investigating her behavior

Sara, the wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accused the attorney general and prosecutors of conducting a politically motivated investigation aimed at harming her democratically elected husband after the couple ordered police to open an investigation into their alleged attempts to get a witness to intimidate and initiate in the corruption trial against the Prime Minister.

“It is clear that there is a desire to … invent criminal offenses with the clear intention of harming a sitting prime minister through improper means … in order to terrorize Israeli democracy,” Sara Netanyahu’s lawyer Uriel Hor Nizri wrote in a letter to Gali Baharav-Miara and Amit Aisman, which was leaked to the media on Saturday.

Two days earlier, Baharav-Miara and Aisman had ordered police on Thursday to investigate Sara Netanyahu after a recent investigative report indicated that she had instructed Hanni Bleiweiss, her husband’s late associate, to organize protests and an online campaign against Hadas Small to organize.

Klein is the former secretary of Netanyahu patron Arnon Milchan and a key witness in the case that alleges Netanyahu illegally obtained hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of cigars, champagne and jewelry – much of it allegedly at the request of Sara Netanyahu.

In the letter to the attorney general and prosecutor, Sara Netanyahu’s lawyer accused the couple of engaging in a “hunting expedition as part of an ugly campaign” to influence the ongoing trial of the prime minister.

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Nizri claimed that top prosecutors had gone beyond mere “selective enforcement” and had now “entered a situation where what is not criminal becomes criminal and what is criminal is not investigated.”

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara attends a meeting of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee at the Knesset in Jerusalem on November 18, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

As an argument, Sara Netanyahu’s lawyer points to prosecutors’ refusal to open similar investigations into threats from high-ranking military reservists that they would not report for duty if the Netanyahu government pushes forward with its controversial plan to radically overhaul Israel’s justice system last year.

The reservists argued that they acted within their democratic rights and that they did not hesitate to enlist after the October 7 Hamas attack.

Nizri, for his part, argued that Baharav-Miara and Aisman made their decision to order an investigation against Sara Netanyahu solely on the basis of the Uvda investigative report.

Klein was among dozens of people who filed police complaints against Sara Netanyahu after the revelation aired.

Sara Netanyahu reportedly wrote to Bleiweiss that the “villain” Klein had “smeared, lied and slandered us for years.” Uvda said language similar to Netanyahu’s message appeared soon after in social media posts against Klein.

The revelation of the TV show was based on internal communications between Netanyahu and Bleiweiss. The latter died of cancer in 2023 and the investigative program gained access to her phone.

Prosecutor Amit Aisman speaks during a meeting of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee in the Knesset in Jerusalem on July 21, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Channel 12 News reported Thursday that the planned investigation into Sara Netanyahu would be carried out by Lahav 433, the police’s major crimes unit. A police source cited by Haaretz said law enforcement would seek access to Bleiweiss’ phone and possibly Sara Netanyahu’s as well. The source was quoted as saying that Netanyahu would likely be questioned, but not in the short term.

In a brief statement that did not mention Sara Netanyahu by name, Baharav-Miara and Aisman said they should be investigated on suspicion of witness tampering and obstruction of justice.

The announcement, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s allies quickly condemned, came hours after the prime minister himself posted a four-minute video tirade against the media for spreading a “blood libel” about his wife.

According to Haaretz, Aisman and Baharav-Miara had both discussed a possible investigation against Netanyahu due to their high public profiles and both supported the move. The outlet also said that a police officer tasked with reviewing the “Uvda” report also supported the launch of an investigation.

Calls from Netanyahu’s coalition to remove Baharav-Miara from office have grown louder in recent weeks, amid allegations that the attorney general’s role is to prevent government policies from being implemented.

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