Sara Netanyahu responded Tuesday to Yair Golan’s threat of a defamation lawsuit with a legal warning of her own, demanding an apology, the removal of his statements and NIS 100,000 in compensation while threatening to sue him for NIS 1 million.
Her attorney, Uriel Nizri, rejected Golan’s accusation that she had spread conspiracy theories about his actions on October 7, calling the claim “wild lies” and serious defamation intended to incite against her and generate negative publicity.
Yair Golan and Sara Netanyahu
(Photo: Oliver Contreras / AFP, Dana Kopel)
“Mrs. Netanyahu never spread conspiracy theories, but spoke only about solid facts that are undisputed in Israel,” the letter said. It argued that her comments were not directed at Golan but were sarcastic remarks about those who failed to inform Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in time about the Hamas attack.
The letter also accused Golan of bearing “personal and physical responsibility” for the March 1, 2023 protest outside a Tel Aviv hair salon where Sara Netanyahu was inside during demonstrations against the government’s judicial overhaul. She alleged that the incident endangered her physical and emotional well-being.
Netanyahu demanded that Golan issue a public and unequivocal apology stating that she had not spread conspiracy theories, remove his statements on the matter and pay NIS 100,000 within 48 hours. She asked that the money be donated to the pre-military academy in Eli, whose graduates suffered heavy losses during the war.
If he does not comply, the letter warned, Netanyahu intends to seek NIS 1 million in damages, excluding legal costs and attorney fees.
Her response came after Golan, chairman of the Democrats party, sent Netanyahu a formal warning before legal action over remarks she made in an interview with Channel 14.
Golan demanded a public apology within 24 hours and compensation to be donated in full to survivors of the Nova music festival, warning that he would seek at least NIS 2.5 million in damages if she refused.
His attorneys argued that Netanyahu’s remarks amounted to severe defamation by implying he may have had advance knowledge of the October 7 attack.
In the interview, Netanyahu said: “You claim that you were a fighter on October 7. Early in the morning, you were already there, dressed and ready. At a very early hour, when others did not know, such as the prime minister.”
Golan’s warning letter said he learned of the attack only when the first sirens sounded at 6:29 a.m., after which he left his home in his private car, went to Home Front Command headquarters to obtain an assault rifle and drove south.
According to the letter, Golan repeatedly entered the area where young people fleeing the Nova festival had taken shelter and rescued six of them while risking his life.
His lawyers described Netanyahu’s remarks as “defamatory and false,” saying they sought to portray him as if he had participated in an act of betrayal and were part of a calculated effort to damage his reputation ahead of the election.
Golan later accused Netanyahu and her allies of trying to rewrite the history of October 7 in order to erase the government’s responsibility for what he called the greatest failure in Israel’s history.
“They are trying to turn those who rose to defend the country into traitors, and those who funded Hamas and abandoned security into victims,” he said.
Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Lieberman backed Golan, telling him: “Well done, Yair, don’t give up.”
AFP also reported on Sara Netanyahu’s Channel 14 interview, describing her remarks as echoing a conspiracy theory that suggested Golan may have known in advance about the October 7 attack.
Likud rejected that characterization, saying Sara Netanyahu “never claimed there was a conspiracy regarding October 7” and had said the opposite in the interview.
The Democrats responded: “You have 20 hours left to apologize, and 56 days to pack up and leave the prime minister’s residence.”