Israel Removes Car, Driver And Bodyguard Facilities For Former Prime Minister Netanyahu's Wife And Children Despite Threats

Benjamin Netanyahu. (Wikimedia Commons / kmu.gov.ua / Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine)

JAKARTA - The Committee of Ministers for the Shin Bet decided to end the security protection granted to the family of opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.

The ministers were briefed on Sunday morning by representatives of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), Mossad, police and the National Security Council in a meeting that lasted just half an hour.

"None of them saw any reason to extend the protection," said a source present at the meeting, citing The Jerusalem Post Dec. 12. This cost the Netanyahu family a bodyguard, driver, car.

The decision means that Sara Netanyahu and her sons, Yair and Avner, will no longer receive state-funded cars and drivers. When his father became prime minister, Yair famously used his chauffeur to drive him and his friends to an adult club in Tel Aviv. The driver recorded the conversation and leaked it to the media.

The former prime minister himself was not part of the decision and will continue to be protected for 20 years, as will his family home. Removing the benefits from his family would save the taxpayer NIS 300,000 a month.

Sources close to Netanyahu called the decision "political, scandalous and irresponsible." and warned that it would allow damage to be done to the former prime minister's wife and son. Sources said the Shin Bet department responsible for protecting Sara Netanyahu and her son wanted them to continue to be protected. The department denied the claim.

Benjamin Netanyahu. (Wikimedia Commons/kmu.gov.ua/Кабінет аїни)

"Anyone who looks will see the intensity of the incitement and threats on social media. The hatred of Netanyahu has made people ready to harm his wife and children. This is unbelievable. An unprecedented scandal. His writing is on the wall," the source said. know about this problem.

Public Security Minister Omer Bar Lev, who is on the ministry's committee, said the decision was easy because all security authorities agreed.

"I believe the Shin Bet and the police, if there will be a threat, it will be dealt with," said Bar Lev.

Yair Netanyahu responded to Bar Lev on Twitter that when he complained about threats to harm him, it was not handled properly.

Netanyahu's son also tweeted accusing Shin Bet head Ronen Bar of being left-wing, because he opposes allowing the Palestinian Authority to collapse and is a graduate of Harvard University's Wexner Israel Fellowship.

Likud MK Shlomo Karhi said the danger to the Netanyahu family from left-wing anarchists was enormous, and "if anything happens to them, God forbid, the blood will be on the hands of the ministers."

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— Benjamin Netanyahu (@nettanyahu) December 10, 2021

Channel 13 reported on Sunday evening that the Netanyahu family requested that the second home be secured by the state. Currently, their home in Caesarea was protected. According to the report, they requested the same be done for the house they own on Aza Street, Jerusalem.

In a bid to prevent a decision about removing his family's bodyguard, Netanyahu filed a police complaint against the political activist group for what he said was incitement to violence against them. He uploaded a video to Twitter on Friday, in which he detailed recent threats against him, Sara and Yair.

Netanyahu highlighted a social media post from the anti-Netanyahu Ministry of Crime organization that read: "On Monday, as has long been agreed, security details will be lifted and cars will be confiscated from Sara Netanyahu and her two sons. Expect a surprise?"

He also revealed a letter that had arrived at his office in recent days which read: "Despicable Yair. We are four Israelis abroad. We will soon return to this country to kill you and your scum father." The letter also referred to Sara Netanyahu as a prostitute. "You will die soon," it ended.

Netanyahu also showed a clip of a left-wing activist speaking to Yair Netanyahu during the protests, who said one day he would be without security details, adding: "Poof, who knows (what could happen)?"

"It is important to remember that (tourism minister Rehavam Ze'evi) was assassinated just two days after his security details were removed. The writing is on the wall, we are talking about human life. What else needs to happen?" Netanyahu explained.

He ended by asking the Security Committee to ignore their political and personal considerations, in order to keep the security details on the Netanyahu family.

"Don't neglect the safety of my wife and children," he said.

In response, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said, "while the Israeli people are shown an insane waste of public funds on unnecessary security details for the Netanyahu family, opposition leaders are tired of inciting against those who demand to put a stop to the madness."