Jerusalem: A serious national emergency was evident as scores of riot police charged through Tel Aviv's streets amid raucous anti-government demonstrations. Their objective was to free Mrs. Benjamin Netanyahu, the wife of the Israeli prime minister, from a posh salon where she was receiving hair services.
The beauty salon was under siege by protesters on Wednesday night as they chanted "shame, shame," bringing Sara Netanyahu to the forefront as a divisive figure who has long been linked to her husband's political career.
Her decision to get her hair done in the middle of a city beset by unrest that first turned violent on Wednesday only served to further her reputation as someone who lives a lavish lifestyle at the expense of the taxpayers.
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Israelis have also claimed that Netanyahu, a former air hostess who later became a psychologist in education, exerted undue influence over her husband and put pressure on him regarding policy decisions and political appointments. Here is a look at what has made Sara Netanyahu so divisive over her roughly 30-year political career.
Sara Netanyahu, 64, has made sensational news in the past for, among other things, allegedly misappropriating public funds, going overboard on household expenses, and accepting gifts from world leaders.
She agreed to a plea deal in 2019 to resolve allegations that she used $100,000 in public funds improperly to order extravagant meals from celebrity chefs at the prime minister's official residence, despite having cooks employed by the government. She has also become involved in the long-running political crisis in the nation that was brought on by Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial.
The prime minister allegedly accepted gifts from wealthy friends, including tens of thousands of dollars' worth of champagne crates and pricey jewellery for Sara Netanyahu, in exchange for political favours. He also allegedly made behind-the-scenes deals with newspaper publishers to secure more positive coverage for his wife.
He claims he did nothing wrong. Most recently, a parliamentary committee approved additional spending funds for the Netanyahus, including an increase in clothing and cosmetics costs for Sara Netanyahu totaling thousands of dollars annually.
The perception is that this couple is extremely avaricious, according to Israeli journalist Amir Oren. It does resemble Marie Antoinette in some ways.
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The maids who have worked for Sara Netanyahu over the years have consistently accused her of explosive outbursts and mistreatment. One instance involved Netanyahu screaming at her publicist over the phone about how a gossip column failed to mention her credentials. The family's nanny claimed in another that Netanyahu fired her for allegedly setting a soup pot on fire and dumped her outside without her clothes or passport.
Two domestic workers who sued Netanyahu for allegedly making their lives miserable won compensation. One of them described Netanyahu's taste for pricey luxuries like pink champagne in court testimony.
Over the years, Netanyahu's extreme outbursts and unhealthy obsession with cleanliness have been reported by friends and coworkers. The family of Benjamin Netanyahu has portrayed themselves as the victims of a media war. After Ehud Olmert, a former prime minister, labelled them as "mentally ill," they filed a libel lawsuit against him.
Sara Netanyahu has been charged with interfering with the prime minister's decision-making by opponents of the Netanyahu family. Recent court testimony from former officials claimed that she had undue influence over top security appointments.
A retired general testified in January that Sara Netanyahu interviewed him for the position of the prime minister's military secretary for 45 minutes after her husband, Benjamin Netanyahu, left the room.
Sara has interviewed or had an impact on every senior official appointment over the past few years, according to Gayil Talshir, a political science professor at Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
She has been charged with driving her husband's government's determination to overhaul the nation's judiciary, which has resulted in some of the largest demonstrations in Israeli history and drawn widespread condemnation from both within Israeli society and outside of it.
She has just as much to gain from the government's plan to weaken the court system as her husband, critics claim, given her prior legal issues. Sara Netanyahu and her son Yair have repeatedly incited against Israel's "elites," including the media, bureaucrats, and civil servants. Both are lightning rods for controversy. Benjamin Netanyahu is adamant that his wife not participate in official matters.
The opposition contends that Sara Netanyahu is a legitimate political target for the protest movement rather than just a first lady because of her high public profile. With all due respect, Sara Netanyahu is a political figure who participates in important appointments and decisions, according to Yair Golan, a former general and former Meretz party lawmaker, who made the statement on Kan radio.
However, "the day of disruption" was altered by the dramatic scenes of police, secret service, and helicopters called to remove Netanyahu from her hair appointment. Benjamin Netanyahu uploaded a picture of himself hugging his wife late at night on Twitter, claiming she had returned home safely and admonishing that such "anarchy" would result in fatalities.
On Thursday, Sara Netanyahu expressed her gratitude to the public for their support in a post on Instagram. She also thanked the police for their assistance.
She noted that the incident from yesterday might have resulted in murder. She urged the leaders of the opposition to denounce "the violence, anarchy, and incitement."
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Talshir claimed that the incident, which made headlines despite police shocking the nation by using water cannons, stun grenades, and tear gas against pro-democracy protesters, once again exposed Benjamin Netanyahu as a master political manipulator.
She claimed that he did a good job of portraying his wife as the true victim of the protest from the day before. But from the perspective of the protesters, Sara was essential in dividing the nation and moving it towards autocracy