Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday evening addressed the controversy surrounding the remarks made by his wife, Sara Netanyahu, on Channel 14 concerning conspiracy theories that have circulated about the events of October 7.
“I have been asked several times whether I think there was a betrayal, and I answered that there was not. There was a major failure, which was reflected in what happened on the night and morning before the attack, when all the warning signs were there, and they decided, due to a miscalculation, not to wake me and not to launch a preemptive strike. It was a failure, but not a betrayal, and my wife did not say anything like that either," Netanyahu said.
Earlier, the confrontation between Sara Netanyahu and Democrats Party chairman Yair Golan escalated, after Netanyahu’s attorney, Uriel Nizri, sent Golan a response and legal warning following his demand that she compensate him and apologize for remarks she made about him on Channel 14.
The lawyer stated that “distorting the remarks to suggest that my client acted to spread conspiracy theories is inconsistent with what was actually said."
According to Nizri, the comments were made sarcastically in reference to officials who failed to inform the Prime Minister in a timely manner about what was happening. He accused Golan and his party of having “chosen to cynically and disgracefully exploit my client’s remarks and falsely and misleadingly portray them as conspiracy theories."
Nizri went on to reject Golan’s demand, arguing that it is actually Golan’s own statements about Netanyahu and her family over the years that, in his view, provide grounds for a defamation lawsuit against him.
The letter, among other things, addresses remarks attributed to Golan in an interview in which he criticized Netanyahu and her family. According to Netanyahu’s attorney, the statements were “serious" and went beyond legitimate political criticism.
The letter further alleges that Golan has made harsh statements about Netanyahu and her family over the years, and that the remarks attributed to him constitute, according to her attorney, defamation and damage to her reputation.
Nizri demanded that Golan issue a public apology and donate 100,000 shekels to the Eli pre-military academy. The letter also makes clear that if the demands are not met, legal proceedings against him may be pursued.
The letter comes after Golan sent the Prime Minister’s wife a legal warning ahead of a potential lawsuit following her televised comments.
He made a firm demand that Netanyahu issue a public apology within 24 hours and pay compensation that would be donated in full to survivors of the Nova music festival massacre. If the demand is not met, he said he would file a defamation lawsuit against her seeking at least 2.5 million shekels.
Golan’s attorneys emphasized in their letter that the Prime Minister’s wife’s remarks constituted “slanderous and false statements" intended to portray Golan as a “participant in an act of betrayal," as part of a deliberate effort to damage his reputation against the backdrop of the election campaign.