Questions were raised about funding for Yair Netanyahu’s [L] security detail in the US [Getty]
The son of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “exiled” after hitting his father, an Israeli opposition lawmaker has claimed.
The Democrats MK Naama Lazimi made the remark in a session of the Knesset Finance Committee, in which she mentioned funding for the Israeli premier’s wife’s to the United States and the cost of providing the couple’s Miami-based son Yair with a security detail.
“I want to ask about the two-month stay abroad of the prime minister’s wife, Sara Netanyahu. I want to ask who financed this stay, what its cost was, and from which budget it was drawn,” Lazimi said.
“I want to ask about the prime minister’s son, Yair Netanyahu. Last year, an article stated that his security costs around NIS 2.5 million (US$701,000) per year.
“I want to ask whether this sum is still budgeted and whether there is still an intention to fund the prime minister’s son’s stay because he hit the prime minister and had to be abroad as he damaged a symbol of authority,” she continued.
When challenged by fellow lawmakers on the claim, Lazimi responded that the Israeli leader’s son had been “exiled abroad”.
A representative for Netanyahu’s Likud Party rejected the statement as a “lie” and threatened legal action.
“Naama Lazimi will lose her immunity and pay, and anyone who echoes this vile lie will receive a lawsuit and pay as well,” a statement from a Likud representative said.
According to a report by The Times of Israel in March 2024, the cost of securing Yair Netanyahu’s stay in a luxury apartment complex in Miami, which includes a chauffeur and bodyguards from Shin Bet’s Unit 730, amounts to 200,000 shekels (approximately US$56,000). The issue has been an ongoing saga in Israeli politics.
Security for Yair was stepped up amid military exchanges between Israel and Iran.
Netanyahu’s wife Sara and their other son Avner also receive protection from Shin Bet. Netanyahu himself is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Gaza.
Netanyahu has faced scrutiny among Israelis for keeping his son abroad, as the families of Gaza-held captives have called on the Israeli leader to secure their relatives’ release.
