Netanyahus wife targets opposition politician with conspiracy claim

**Israeli Prime Minister’s Wife Accuses Opposition Leader of Prior Knowledge of Oct. 7 Attack**

*September 2, 2026 – Jerusalem* – Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, alleged on Israel’s Channel 14 that Yair Golan, a retired Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) deputy chief of staff and leader of the left‑wing Democratic Party, possessed advance knowledge of the Hamas assault on Israel on October 7, 2023.

In the interview, Netanyahu questioned how Golan was able to reach the southern region of Israel “very early” during the attack, saying: “When you’re a military man of such high rank, claiming that you fought on October 7, already early in the morning you were there, already dressed and ready at a very, very early hour when others didn’t know, such as the prime minister.”

Golan responded that the remarks constitute a “false conspiracy” and an attempt to “rewrite” the events of that day. He demanded a public apology within 24 hours and warned that he would pursue a defamation lawsuit if the apology was not issued. Golan also said that, should an apology be forthcoming, he expects a “substantial donation” to be made to the families of victims of the Nova music festival massacre, where approximately one‑third of the roughly 1,200 people killed in the Oct. 7 attack died.

The Times of Israel reported that Golan drove to the festival area during the Hamas assault and rescued several people fleeing the massacre. Golan is a candidate in the upcoming national election scheduled for October 27, 2026, where he leads the Democratic Party. Political analysts note that the centrist Honest! Party’s leader, Gadi Eisenkot, is also positioned as a primary challenger to Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Sara Netanyahu’s comments echo broader claims circulating in Israel that officials may have allowed the Hamas attack to occur. When asked directly about the “betrayal theory,” which suggests intentional facilitation of the attack, she said she is “not part of any theories and I don’t know,” distancing herself from that narrative.

Israeli investigations have identified a series of systemic failures preceding the Oct. 7 attack, including missed intelligence on Hamas’s “Jericho Wall” operational plan. A wider inquiry into the performance of Israel’s political and security leadership remains pending in the Knesset, with ongoing debate over the investigation’s independence and the government’s role in overseeing it.

The remarks were reported by RT.com on September 2, 2026. No further comment has been received from the Prime Minister’s office or from Yair Golan’s campaign at the time of publication.

Article and image source: israelherald.com