Israeli police to investigate Netanyahu's wife for obstructing justice

JERUSALEM

Israeli police are set to investigate Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for allegedly "obstructing justice," according to Israeli media reports on Friday.

The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation reported that the police plan to initiate an investigation into Sara Netanyahu for harassing a witness and disrupting the course of justice.

The move comes after a recent investigative report aired on Channel 12’s program Uvda presented evidence suggesting Sara Netanyahu’s involvement in organizing protests against the prosecutor in her husband's trial, Liat Ben-Ari, and against one of the witnesses, Hadas Klein.

Israeli Attorney General Amit Aisman and the government’s legal adviser, Gali Baharav-Miara, issued a statement late Thursday night confirming that the police had been instructed to proceed with the investigation following the broadcast.

The report suggests that Sara Netanyahu might be called in for questioning or to provide testimony in the case.

This decision has drawn strong criticism from members of the Israeli government, including Justice Minister Yariv Levin, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana. They accused Baharav-Miara of applying the law selectively for political reasons, calling it a "crime."

The development comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared in court for the sixth time on Tuesday to respond to corruption charges.

Netanyahu began testifying in December 2023 regarding bribery, fraud, and breach of trust allegations, marking his first testimony since being accused in 2019.

The legal proceedings against Netanyahu began in 2020 and are still ongoing, with Netanyahu denying all charges and claiming that the case is part of a political campaign to remove him from office.

Last month, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi in Ankara