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Netanyahu with wife Sara
Photo: Amos Ben Gershom, GPO

The prime minister’s problem

Too many people in Israel know the truth about Netanyahu’s wife

When the Netanyahus flipped through the weekend papers, they must have blamed the whole world, as always: They media that want their blood, the advisors and close associates who failed in handling the latest affair, the editors on shift who deliberately chose the most vicious headlines and cruelest photographs, and the editors-in-chief who despite all the phone calls and explicit demands did not stop the presses.

 

This response would be no different than those in past cases where Ms. Netanyahu was the focus of some scandal. And there were quite a few such affairs since Netanyahu’s 1996 election win, when the “mother of the state” took the stage in Jerusalem and waved to the cheering crowds.

 

Ever since then, every time we saw the media dealing with Sara – in most cases because the stories justified such attention – media outlets were accused of persecution, abuse, and deception; almost a blood libel.

 

During his recent visit to Germany, PM Netanyahu found the time to address Israeli media. Please, leave Sara alone he said. He was almost begging. This was not the first time Netanyahu turned to the media with such request, yet this time he did not make do with that. If he had done nothing beyond it, perhaps it would have been easier to show understanding and even sympathize with him. Mostly to feel compassion for him, the man who bears a huge national burden on his shoulders yet is forced to defend his problematic wife time and again.

 

Yet Netanyahu did what he always does: He went too far with his exaggeration, not to mention lies, declaring that Sara makes him a better and more sensitive person.

 

The problem here, as is the case with other Netanyahu stories, is that too many people know the truth. In fact, there are dozens if not hundreds of people out there who know that Netanyahu is not telling the truth when he says that Sara makes him a better person. And we are talking about the people closest to him, including the man who used to be his best friend, Dr. Gabi Picker.

 

That same Picker once said that Netanyahu possesses top-notch leadership qualities and exceptional intelligence, yet even a talented person like him can’t be prime minister as long as he does not take care of the problem at home.

 

We are talking about officials in the Prime Minister’s Office, advisors, past and current ministers, and close associates who are closely familiar with the stories and who had to deny them on occasion on the PM’s orders. In many cases these people were the ones who leaked the stories, out of concern or a sense of responsibility, but shied away from going all the way.

 

Hence, when Netanyahu claims that Sara is being picked on unjustly, he knows this is not the truth. When he denies his wife’s unreasonable involvement in making appointments, setting schedules, or his ties with various individuals he knows that he is distorting reality.

 

Automatic denials

Netanyahu is well aware of all the cases where bona fide stories reached his office and were denied by his people. In fact, denials in respect to Sara Netanyahu are almost automatic: Every item about her is immediately denied. We can say that relative to what the media knows, it went easy on Ms. Netanyahu.

 

For a long time , too long, we refrained from publishing stories that reached us; Stories about angry outbursts, demands, undue interference, and the honors which the lady demands (and not only from those close to her.) Had these stories been published, the recent lawsuit filed by former maid Lillian Peretz would not have surprised anyone.

 

Yet these stories were not published, or more accurately, they were only partly reported. Perhaps because we grew tired, or because we became fed up with the denials, or maybe we were just too lazy or neglected our duties.

 

This past week it was easy to see Sara Netanyahu as the victim. What is more predictable than accusing the media of slander, holding a grudge, and seeking to hurt the prime minister? It is very easy to treat the Sara tales as gossip. However, the conduct of the prime minister’s wife and her influence on national affairs calls for a serious investigative report.

 

The public has the right to know not only the prime minister’s physical and mental condition, but also the people who influence him. Hence, those who attempt to turn the Sara Netanyahu affair into a political or economic item are missing the essence: It doesn’t matter at all what the motive for the reports is – the only relevant question is whether they’re accurate or not.

 

If they are indeed accurate, the time has come (although it may be too late) to look into how such unbalanced conduct (to put it mildly) by the closest person to the prime minister affects the work of the man who has such great influence on our lives.

 

There is a large, important, and dominant part in the life of our prime minister that he constantly needs to hide, deny, and cover up. A whole area that he needs to keep secret and that prompts him to lie. It is difficult to be a better person when one constantly needs to live in denial. It is difficult to be a prime minister when one has something to hide. Too many people in this country know that what Netanyahu said in Berlin is groundless. Too many good people are familiar with bad stories.

 

This week, some of these same people, acting on the prime minister’s orders, tried to sell us Sara Netanyahu’s positive side. As if her being a good psychologist, a wise and hard-working woman, and even a nice lady is relevant here. Yet regardless of how many spokespersons he dispatches, Netanyahu knows what so many people know: He has a problem. And if he really doesn’t realize this, then the problem is much graver.

 


פרסום ראשון: 01.26.10, 00:46
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