Netanyahus deny charges of abuse by ex-custodian

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded Thursday to a lawsuit by his former house manager Menny Naftali, denying allegations that his wife, Sara, acted abusively, and claiming that Naftali lashed out violently against other workers.

“During the entire period of his employment as house manager in the prime minister’s residence, the claimant’s work was found to be lacking in many areas. On various occasions, the plaintiff acted gruffly or violently toward workers in the prime minister’s home and did not do his job properly,” read a letter from the Netanyahus that was presented at the Jerusalem Labor court.

Naftali filed a complaint against his former employers in March, providing extensive descriptions of humiliation, racist remarks and angry fits that he allegedly suffered at the hands of Sara Netanyahu. Naftali was suing the prime minister for NIS 1 million ($290,000) in damages.

Naftali also alleged that the Netanyahus did not meet certain financial obligations regarding his employment and that he was not compensated for irregular hours or workdays.

However, the Netanyahus maintained Thursday that Naftali was well aware of the special circumstances the job entailed, including the unusual work hours and constant availability and had agreed to comply with the terms prior to accepting the position.

“The house manager in the home of the prime minister must, as part of the position, be available to work for many hours,” the statement read.

“A considerable part of the prime minister’s position takes place in the house, including receiving guests and officials from Israel and abroad, hosting meetings and consultations. Therefore, the house is bustling for many hours during the day, and requires the presence of its staff during those hours.”

The letter also asserted that Naftali had chosen to sleep over in the residence at times that his presence was not necessary, such as when the family was abroad, and subsequently billed the prime minister’s residence for many extra hours of work.

The letter also claimed that Naftali had never complained about any purported abuse, not even in his letter of resignation. It stated that the ex-custodian had said that he was quitting because he was not granted permanence.

The Netanyahus reserve the right to sue Naftali for damages and legal fees, the letter said.

Among the instances cited in the original complaint, Naftali recounted that Sara Netanyahu once woke him at 3 a.m. to yell at him for buying milk in a bag, not a carton. When he noted the hour and Netanyahu’s tone, he was allegedly told, by the prime minister himself, to comply with all of he wishes “so that she calms down.”

In another incident described in the complaint, Sara Netanyahu allegedly came into a room and saw that a vase was filled with flowers that were not fresh. According to Naftali, she knocked the vase to the ground while yelling at him and telling him that he was a bad house manager, and that “something like that would not happen in the Elysee Palace.”

Responding to the Netanyahus’ counterclaims, Naftali’s attorney, Naomi Landau, said in a statement that the letter did not address many of the outstanding allegations in the original complaint.

“Instead of grappling with the claims of non-payment, harsh and degrading treatment, abuse, and more, they chose to deflect the debate by raising false allegations of violence that is unrelated to the lawsuit against them, and whose entire purpose is to defame the plaintiff,” Landau said in a statement.

“I would expect [more from] the Prime Minister’s Office than acting like PR people and sending the defense letter to all the media outlets before it was sent to us,” she said.

“During the 20 months that Mr. Naftali was employed at the prime minister’s residence, 29 employees ended their employment there, and not in a positive way,” Naftali’s initial complaint stated. “It became clear that the major and significant source of the dire atmosphere at the prime minister’s residence was the reckless behavior of Mrs. Netanyahu, who demands of residence employees personal services day and night, and makes unreasonable demands, accompanied by disparagement toward the workers that serve her.”

Less than a month after Naftali filed the lawsuit, another former employee came forward with other claims against the prime minister’s wife.

Gil Eliyahu, who worked as an aide to Naftali, was set to submit a lawsuit against the prime minister’s office claiming he was humiliated at work and hasn’t been compensated for overtime.

Naftali, once an elite soldier in the IDF, had previously served as the personal bodyguard for Sara Netanyahu and the Netanyahu boys. He is the third ex-staffer to publicly threaten or bring legal action against the Netanyahus.