World News
Sara Netanyahu claims opposition leader had advance knowledge of October 7 attacks
The prime minister's wife faced immediate opposition backlash over her comments ahead of Israel's October elections.
The short version
- Sara Netanyahu, wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, suggested in a Channel 14 interview that opposition leader Yair Golan knew about the October 7, 2023, attacks in advance.
- Israeli opposition figures and Golan's Democrats party strongly condemned the statement as a deceitful conspiracy theory designed to stoke division.
- The controversy comes ahead of Israel's parliamentary elections scheduled for October 27.
Key facts
- Sara Netanyahu claimed during a broadcast on Israel's Channel 14 that centre-left Democrats party leader Yair Golan was prepared at dawn on October 7, 2023, while others, including the prime minister, were unaware.[France 24]
- The Democrats party and former army chief Gadi Eisenkot rejected the claims, accusing Sara Netanyahu of spreading wild conspiracy theories to perpetuate her husband's governance.[France 24]
- Israel's parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place on October 27.[France 24]
- An August poll conducted for Channel 13 indicated that 40 percent of Israelis and 63 percent of current right-wing coalition voters believe internal treason contributed to the October 7 attacks.[France 24]
What remains uncertain
- There is no evidence supporting the allegation that Israeli opposition figures had prior knowledge of the October 7 attack.[France 24]