Sara Netanyahu Rejects Golan's Apology Demand Over Oct 7

Sara Netanyahu, wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has rejected a demand from opposition Democrats Party leader Yair Golan that she apologize for comments she made about his actions on October 7. In a sharply worded response sent on her behalf Tuesday, she not only refused to apologize but stated that Golan himself should apologize for his own past statements and actions, according to political commentator Amit Segal.

The confrontation stems from an interview Sara Netanyahu gave Monday evening to Channel 14, in which she addressed Golan's activities on the day of the Hamas attack. During the interview, after being shown footage of Golan at a demonstration against the government's judicial reform efforts, Netanyahu said: "When you're a military man of such high rank, claiming you were fighting on the sixth, on October seventh, you were already there early in the morning, already dressed and ready. At a very, very early hour, when others didn't know, such as the Prime Minister."

Following those remarks, Golan sent a legal warning letter to Sara Netanyahu demanding she publish an apology and correction within 24 hours, and arrange compensation to be donated to survivors of the Nova music festival massacre. His attorneys argued that her words implied Golan had advance knowledge of the planned attack and arrived on scene before the Prime Minister had even been briefed about the outbreak of war. They also claimed that her use of the phrase "claiming you were fighting" cast doubt on whether Golan actually participated in combat that day.

The warning letter presented Golan's version of events from that morning. According to his account, once the scale of the disaster became clear, he left his home in his private vehicle and drove toward the Home Front Command headquarters. Golan threatened that if his demands were not met, he would pursue legal action and sue for at least 2.5 million shekels (approximately $700,000).

Alongside the legal confrontation, Golan published a sharp response to Sara Netanyahu's comments the night before. In his post, he attacked the Prime Minister and the security establishment: "Bibi, Defense Minister Gallant, senior security officials, the Chief of Staff, the head of Shin Bet, tried to wake you up and warn you dozens of times from the moment the government was sworn in and you didn't wake up."

Golan referenced an interview Netanyahu gave in April 2023 on the program "The Patriots," in which he addressed security establishment warnings and said: "I think there's exaggeration in this." According to Golan, the Prime Minister ignored repeated warnings received over months. Concluding his post, Golan promised that Netanyahu would be held accountable for the failure: "Like all those responsible for the failure, you too will be held accountable for this abandonment immediately after we enter the next government. I promise!"

This is not the first time Golan has found himself in a legal confrontation over similar issues. Just months ago, he was forced to delete a post in which he made claims against Knesset member Tzvi Sukkot, after Sukkot threatened him with a defamation lawsuit. Golan had claimed that because of Sukkot, IDF forces were diverted from the south on the eve of October 7. Sukkot gave him an ultimatum to delete the statement within half an hour. Golan complied and removed the post.

The current clash between Sara Netanyahu and Yair Golan joins a series of political and legal tensions surrounding the events of October 7 and the accountability of various officials for the failures that day. Whether the parties will reach a settlement or the matter will proceed to court will be determined in the coming days.