Norwegian wins heart of PM’s son
Prime minister tells his counterpart in Oslo about the romance, which began in the halls of the IDC in Herzliya
Yifa Yaakov is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel.
When Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg sat down for a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, she received some unexpected news: that the prime minister’s son Yair was dating a Norwegian national, Sandra Leikanger.
As the two discussed bilateral issues and the “new-found friendship” between Jerusalem and Oslo under Solberg’s newly elected right-center government, Netanyahu reportedly told Solberg that his son traveled with Leikanger in Norway over the summer, and that the two had been dating for months.
According to a report published by the Norwegian daily Dagen, the tall, svelte blonde met the younger Netanyahu at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, where they are both pursuing a degree.
Netanyahu, 23, recently completed his mandatory military service in the IDF, where he served as a corporal in the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit. He currently studies International Relations at IDC.
Leikanger, 25, studies Communications, Dagen reported.
According to the report, Leikanger — who is 1.8 meters tall (5′ 11″) — hails from the southern Norwegian city of Grimstad, which is known for its conservative Christian population.
Photos obtained by the newspaper from Leikanger’s Facebook page, which has since been made private, show the happy couple posing at a restaurant and on the Norwegian seafront.
According to the report, the two take a bodyguard along when they go on dates in Israel.
Leikanger’s sister Ida, who also goes by the Israeli name Hila, lives in Israel as well, according to Facebook. Their mother, Anne Kirstine, often posts pro-Israel content on her Facebook page, and visited Israel this fall.
Though Norway is generally not known for its good relations with Israel, it boasts a community of pro-Israel Evangelical Christians numbering several thousands.
Leikanger’s family reportedly belongs to Norway’s Evangelical community. Last month, Anne Kirstine posted a Christmas greeting on her Facebook page, saying that “Mary’s boychild Jesus Christ was born on Christmas Day .. Let’s celebrate!!!!”.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s own second wife, Fleur Cates, was a non-Jewish woman of British origin.
Yair was born in 1991 to Netanyahu’s third wife, Sara.
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