The China Mail - Sara Netanyahu: the ever-present wife of Israel's prime minister

USD -
AED 3.673001
AFN 68.504962
ALL 83.387145
AMD 383.74003
ANG 1.789623
AOA 916.999859
ARS 1255.429303
AUD 1.518603
AWG 1.8025
AZN 1.70148
BAM 1.668636
BBD 2.020399
BDT 121.679557
BGN 1.67292
BHD 0.376992
BIF 2981.413623
BMD 1
BND 1.279674
BOB 6.939711
BRL 5.531902
BSD 1.000601
BTN 85.690153
BWP 13.33339
BYN 3.274649
BYR 19600
BZD 2.009991
CAD 1.36665
CDF 2886.000164
CHF 0.797204
CLF 0.024758
CLP 950.05974
CNY 7.175298
CNH 7.17844
COP 4016
CRC 504.651927
CUC 1
CUP 26.5
CVE 94.749719
CZK 21.056902
DJF 177.719856
DKK 6.376974
DOP 60.200677
DZD 130.01796
EGP 49.503101
ERN 15
ETB 136.09942
EUR 0.854704
FJD 2.23975
FKP 0.736163
GBP 0.73665
GEL 2.710006
GGP 0.736163
GHS 10.397321
GIP 0.736163
GMD 71.503947
GNF 8656.000273
GTQ 7.68709
GYD 209.351631
HKD 7.849402
HNL 26.349808
HRK 6.441599
HTG 131.286287
HUF 340.996013
IDR 16214
ILS 3.317102
IMP 0.736163
INR 85.72175
IQD 1310
IRR 42125.000037
ISK 122.049847
JEP 0.736163
JMD 159.910246
JOD 0.708999
JPY 146.239014
KES 129.497429
KGS 87.450185
KHR 4020.999529
KMF 420.999451
KPW 899.989949
KRW 1371.729766
KWD 0.30571
KYD 0.833891
KZT 519.10468
LAK 21539.999832
LBP 89600.000511
LKR 300.589969
LRD 200.496166
LSL 17.789943
LTL 2.95274
LVL 0.60489
LYD 5.397632
MAD 9.000169
MDL 16.930368
MGA 4429.999893
MKD 52.60211
MMK 2099.551903
MNT 3586.805132
MOP 8.090897
MRU 39.729719
MUR 45.210067
MVR 15.397402
MWK 1736.503276
MXN 18.618401
MYR 4.247499
MZN 63.959752
NAD 17.789903
NGN 1530.889707
NIO 36.749709
NOK 10.0804
NPR 137.104074
NZD 1.657623
OMR 0.384498
PAB 1.000601
PEN 3.544501
PGK 4.137968
PHP 56.509988
PKR 284.502706
PLN 3.63485
PYG 7755.344063
QAR 3.640597
RON 4.338795
RSD 100.123978
RUB 74.039658
RWF 1434
SAR 3.750395
SBD 8.336924
SCR 14.350255
SDG 600.499865
SEK 9.506501
SGD 1.27982
SHP 0.785843
SLE 22.504511
SLL 20969.503664
SOS 571.49837
SRD 37.367991
STD 20697.981008
SVC 8.755263
SYP 13001.930426
SZL 17.790163
THB 32.609748
TJS 9.681127
TMT 3.51
TND 2.90503
TOP 2.342099
TRY 40.126402
TTD 6.794671
TWD 29.243903
TZS 2630.000304
UAH 41.880479
UGX 3585.88681
UYU 40.653701
UZS 12674.999971
VES 113.606305
VND 26114.5
VUV 119.443863
WST 2.750992
XAF 559.644909
XAG 0.027024
XAU 0.000301
XCD 2.70255
XDR 0.695413
XOF 558.487821
XPF 101.750297
YER 241.850047
ZAR 17.74416
ZMK 9001.20203
ZMW 23.44008
ZWL 321.999592
  • CMSC

    0.0900

    22.314

    +0.4%

  • CMSD

    0.0250

    22.285

    +0.11%

  • RBGPF

    0.0000

    69.04

    0%

  • SCS

    0.0400

    10.74

    +0.37%

  • RELX

    0.0300

    53

    +0.06%

  • RIO

    -0.1400

    59.33

    -0.24%

  • GSK

    0.1300

    41.45

    +0.31%

  • NGG

    0.2700

    71.48

    +0.38%

  • BP

    0.1750

    30.4

    +0.58%

  • BTI

    0.7150

    48.215

    +1.48%

  • BCC

    0.7900

    91.02

    +0.87%

  • JRI

    0.0200

    13.13

    +0.15%

  • VOD

    0.0100

    9.85

    +0.1%

  • BCE

    -0.0600

    22.445

    -0.27%

  • RYCEF

    0.1000

    12

    +0.83%

  • AZN

    -0.1200

    73.71

    -0.16%

Sara Netanyahu: the ever-present wife of Israel's prime minister
Sara Netanyahu: the ever-present wife of Israel's prime minister / Photo: © GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

Sara Netanyahu: the ever-present wife of Israel's prime minister

Whether dining opposite US President Donald Trump or accompanying her husband on an official Pentagon visit, Sara Netanyahu's front-row role in Washington this week has sparked fresh questions over her place in Israeli politics.

Text size:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's third wife and the mother of two of his children, Sara Netanyahu has long made headlines, notably for her alleged involvement in the political decisions of her husband.

"My wife and I..." is a phrase often used by the Israeli premier in his official statements, helping to cement Sara's position at the forefront of public life.

This week, as the prime minister visited Washington for a series of high-level meetings in which he discussed a potential Gaza ceasefire deal with the US president, his wife was noticeably present.

On Tuesday, she was photographed sitting opposite Trump at an official dinner following a meeting between the two leaders.

Two days later, she appeared next to her husband, as well as US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his wife, Jennifer Rauchet, as they arrived for meetings at the Pentagon.

But speculation had swirled even before the Netanyahus' departure for Washington.

On the eve of the trip, the prime minister's office announced the resignation of his spokesman Omer Dostri.

A few hours later, following media reports claiming that his wife had been involved in the decision, another statement was issued denying she had any role.

Sara Netanyahu has been the subject of several investigations, including for corruption, fraud and breach of trust, and has also been questioned in connection with her husband's ongoing graft trial.

Married to Benjamin Netanyahu since 1991, the 66-year-old is the target of frequent media attacks which are regularly denounced by her husband.

She has been caricatured in satirical programmes for her fashion choices or her profession as a child psychologist, which she has often appeared to boast about.

But above all, she has been targeted for her alleged interference in state affairs.

- 'The real prime minister' -

In a video released in December 2024, Netanyahu denied that his wife was involved in his cabinet appointments or that she was privy to state secrets.

It followed an investigation into Sara Netanyahu aired by Israel's Channnel 12 which the prime minister slammed as a "witch hunt".

In 2021, a former senior official said he had seen a contract signed by the Netanyahus stipulating that Sara had a say in the appointment of Israeli security chiefs.

To that claim, the prime minister's office responded with a brief statement denouncing "a complete lie". The official lost a libel suit brought against him by the Netanyahus' lawyer.

And when the prime minister appointed David Zini as the new head of Israel's Shin Bet security service in May, Israeli journalists once again pointed to the possible influence of Sara Netanyahu, who is thought to be close to Zini's entourage.

Almost two years since the start of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza, Sara Netanyahu seems to have established herself as more indispensable than ever, with some even attributing her with increasing influence on strategic issues.

In May, when Sara Netanyahu corrected the number of living Gaza hostages given by her husband during a recorded meeting with the captives' families, speculation swirled that she had access to classified information.

Journalist and Netanyahu biographer Ben Caspit went as far as to describe Sara Netanyahu as the "real prime minister".

"It has become public knowledge. It is an integral part of our lives... we are normalising the fact that someone has dismantled the leadership of the state in favour of chaotic, family-based management," Caspit said in an opinion piece published on the website of the Maariv newspaper.

In an interview with US news outlet Fox News on Wednesday, Netanyahu described his wife as a "wonderful partner" and praised her help over the years.

S.Davis--ThChM