Sara Netanyahu tells Hungarian magazine ‘deep state’ aiming to overthrow government
Prime minister’s wife complains to friendly publication that Israeli media ignore her work on behalf of hostages, praises Orban for defying ICC warrants
The wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a Hungarian magazine that a deep state conspiracy in Israel was trying to overthrow the government, lashing out at what she said were forces using the judiciary as a cudgel against elected officials.
The comments from Sara Netanyahu to right-wing outlet Mandiner published Friday dovetailed with accusations leveled by the Israeli premier portraying investigations into his aides as politically biased, amid a wider tussle between his government and institutions acting as a check on government power.
The friendly interview took place as the Netanyahus made a state visit on April 3 to Hungary, one of a handful of countries that has promised not to uphold an International Criminal Court warrant seeking the Israeli leader’s arrest for alleged war crimes in Gaza.
In the interview, which ran under the headline “Israel’s Iron Lady,” Netanyahu claimed a deep state was trying to overthrow an elected government by issuing threats and launching baseless investigations that she said had collapsed in succession.
She described the cases as an attempt to override the will of the people and maintain bureaucratic rule.
Netanyahu also accused the judiciary of being a political weapon and decried court proceedings against her husband, who is on trial for bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.
She called it absurd that the prime minister had been summoned to court two hours after returning from a diplomatic trip, without a day to rest or deliberate.
The comments closely matched accusations leveled by the prime minister, who has repeatedly claimed that the courts, the Shin Bet domestic security agency, and entrenched left-wing bureaucrats constitute a deep state conspiracy seeking to undermine the government’s authority.
The visit came about after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in November rejected the ICC arrest warrant and invited his Israeli counterpart to make an official visit without the fear of being detained.
The two men have a warm personal relationship and a similar political outlook. Proudly right-wing, they share an antipathy toward the European Union and international institutions. As the Netanyahus landed, Orban announced that his country was withdrawing from the ICC.
Like the Israeli premier, Orban, who has been in power since 2010, claims he is facing a liberal “shadow army” of politicians, courts, media, and political activists who are using foreign funding in an attempt to remove him from power. Both leaders have been accused of eroding democratic norms as they work to weaken their country’s judiciaries and crack down on civil society and human rights groups.
Orban banned anti-Israel protests following October 7, and Hungary has frequently voted against UN and European Union moves to sanction Israel.
“The Hungarian prime minister is a true friend of the State of Israel and our family,” Sara Netanyahu said. “He was one of the first in Europe to speak out against the hypocrisy of the Hague court — not many people show such courage.”
The interview with Mandiner provided a rare window into a figure thought to have significant influence over the premier’s thinking, who has maintained a combative relationship with Israeli media and, like her husband, typically shies from speaking to the press at home.
Netanyahu told the magazine that she had worked extensively on behalf of hostages held in Gaza by the Hamas terror group, complaining that it had received scant attention from Israel’s press.
She claimed most Israeli media outlets do not cover her work due to clear political motives, alleging that she and her family had endured 30 years of attacks from the media, which she vowed would not stop her work.
In December, Sara Netanyahu filed a libel suit against Channel 12, and the prime minister accused the media of pushing a “blood libel” when they published a claim that she had leaked highly sensitive security information, including Israel’s plan to kill Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.
The Times of Israel Community.