The Netanyahus
The NetanyahusGPO photo

Yet another former employee in the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem has filed a lawsuit against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his wife Sarah, Channel 2 News reported on Tuesday.

This time the employee in question is Guy Eliyahu, who worked as a maintenance man in the home. As was the case with the previous lawsuit filed by former housekeeper Manny Naftali, most of the accusations were leveled at Sarah Netanyahu.

Eliyahu is suing the Prime Minister’s Office for 650 thousand shekels, according to Channel 2, and is claiming that "beyond the framework of unreasonable working hours, the working environment in the Prime Minister’s Residence resulted in unthinkable abusive employment conditions.”

Eliyahu claims in the lawsuit that “shouting, curses and insults were routine in the home. Often small incidents would turn into outbursts of fury that could even result in exceptional cases, such as throwing misplaced utensils on the floor, before the eyes of the bewildered employees.”

He further claims, according to the report, that "What goes on in the Prime Minister's Residence is very different from the norm in other workplaces, and not in the positive manner. It is no wonder that during the time the plaintiff worked at the Prime Minister’s Residence, ten different employees resigned, while fleeing for their lives."

In one instance, according to Eliyahu, “he brought Mrs. Netanyahu food that she had requested, when she changed her mind and accused the plaintiff of making her put on weight."

The lawsuit further claims, "On two separate occasions, Mr. Eliyahu was summoned from his home by Mrs. Netanyahu in the middle of the night, after midnight. In one case, the plaintiff was made to come back to the Prime Minister’s Residence to find out that he needed to warm up a bowl of soup for Mrs. Netanyahu.”

Like Eliyahu’s lawsuit, the previous lawsuit by Naftali similarly claimed that he was employed under poor work conditions, that the prime minister did not meet the obligations due to his employees under contract, and that he had not received compensation for work hours and overtime.

Naftali’s lawsuit also particularly focusesd on Sarah Netanyahu, who Naftali says had caused friction by, among other things, waking him up at 3:00 am to yell at him about buying milk in bags and not in cartons.

While some of the allegations in the lawsuit may have been exaggerated, some analysts have said that the claims establish a pattern of behavior by Sarah Netanyahu, who has been the subject of many press assaults over the years.

Responding to the latest lawsuit, sources close to the Netanyahu family said on Tuesday evening, "This is a continuation of an orchestrated and organized campaign, in which disgruntled former employees are recruited and ensured 15 minutes of fame in order to extort the Prime Minister. This is done while viciously smearing the Prime Minister's wife in order to harm the Prime Minister politically.”