Tel Aviv – Israel’s Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, has initiated an investigation into Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over allegations of harassment and obstruction of justice involving political opponents.
The investigation follows claims aired last week on Channel 12’s investigative program, Uvda, which alleged that Sara Netanyahu intimidated a witness in her husband’s ongoing criminal trial and indirectly harassed Attorney General Baharav-Miara and Deputy State Attorney Shlomo Lemberger.
“An investigation should be opened into suspicions of witness harassment and obstruction of justice regarding the findings of the Uvda show,” Baharav-Miara announced in a statement on Thursday.
The announcement was met with sharp criticism from senior government officials, including Prime Minister Netanyahu, who dismissed the Uvda report as “biased” and “false propaganda.” In a video statement, he accused Channel 12 of engaging in a politically motivated campaign against his family. “I would like to see Channel 12 or the other incitement channels conduct an investigation about the left-wing camp. But don’t count on it. It simply won’t happen,” Netanyahu said.
Justice Minister Yariv Levin also criticized the decision, calling it an act of “extreme selective enforcement.” Writing on X (formerly Twitter), Levin stated: “While Israeli citizens expect that anyone who threatened the police commissioner or called for defiance will be summoned for questioning, the advisor [Attorney General] and the state attorney are busy opening investigations following gossip on television.”
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir joined the criticism, arguing that Baharav-Miara’s actions reflect political bias. “Someone who persecutes government ministers and their families politically cannot continue to serve as the Attorney General,” Ben-Gvir said.
The controversy unfolds against the backdrop of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s high-profile corruption trial, which began in January 2020. He is the first sitting Israeli prime minister to face trial, with charges including fraud, breach of trust, and bribery in three separate cases. Netanyahu has consistently denied the charges and pleaded not guilty.
This latest development adds another layer of tension to an already polarized political climate in Israel, where allegations of judicial overreach and government interference have sparked widespread debate.