Meet Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife Sara: new docu The Bibi Files shows her luxe life, from pink Champagne to Tiffany, and political meddling – her husband and employees are ‘afraid’ of her
Sara Netanyahu – a former air hostess who’s been accused of living large on the taxpayer’s dime – has been found guilty of misappropriating state funds and abusing her employees
As the wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Sara Netanyahu is used to being in the public eye. But while most political spouses try to keep a clean image, Sara has made headlines for being a diva who famously gets involved in her husband’s affairs and has heavily embedded herself in politics – including selecting the head of Israeli spy agency Mossad as well as parliamentary candidates for her husband’s Likud party. Her “corruption and mismanagement” are revealed in a new documentary entitled The Bibi Files.
The controversial docu exposes the inner dealings of the Netanyahus and their cronies, using leaked police interrogation footage to uncover a side of Israeli politics previously unknown to most.
The tapes, which were recorded between 2016 and 2018, include never-before-seen footage of the “untouchable” family being questioned by police, giving an inside look into a family ordinarily shielded by a wall of power. In its opening scenes, viewers see the normally forceful Netanyahu “backed into a corner, behind his desk, fending off a barrage of questions”.
Later, Sara denies “personally asking for a ring and a necklace” said to be worth “tens of thousands of dollars” and spectacularly loses her temper, telling police that “wherever her husband goes in the world, he is ‘treated like a king’”.
So just who is Sara Netanyahu and what kind of influence does she have over her husband?
Why is everyone talking about The Bibi Files?
Director Alexis Bloom said The Bibi Files shows “the first family of Israel in a whole new way”, per Vanity Fair. The film includes tape of a police interrogation of the Netanyahus, including son Yair, and their close associates.
The footage was part of an investigation by Israeli prosecutors that led to Netanyahu’s 2019 indictment on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. Netanyahu has denied all the claims against him. Bloom said that the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel and the subsequent Israel-Gaza war “became another tool to stay in power” for Netanyahu.
She’s got a taste for the finer things
The Bibi Files reveals Sara’s passion for pink Champagne, with businessman Arnon Milchan and his former personal assistant, Hadas Klein, saying it was their job to ensure Sara “never ran out of her favourite pricey beverage”. Her tastes were so “specific” that Milchan even mentions trying to convince the first lady to substitute Moët & Chandon for lesser brands or Prosecco, to no avail.