Current sectionIsrael NewsIsrael Political NewsYoav Horowitz, the Prime Minister's former Chief of Staff and PMO director-general described the staff as 'obsessive' to the Netanyahu family, and said Netanyahu's wife Sara and son Yair were 'aggressively involved' in decision-making processesShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeYoav Horowitz, former PM Chief of Staff and director general of the Prime Minister's office, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2022. Credit: Alex KolomoiskyYoav Horowitz, former PM Chief of Staff and director general of the Prime Minister's office, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2022. Credit: Alex Kolomoisky12:33 PM • August 08 2026 IDTA former top staffer for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was asked to have employees at the Prime Minister's Office and official residence sign a pledge of personal loyalty to the Netanyahu family, in a blitz of Friday night interviews to Israeli news channels.The prime minister did not deny the allegation in a response provided by Likud to Channels 11, 12 and 13, who all aired similar interviews with Horowitz on Friday night.Yoav Horowitz, who served as the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff between 2015-2019 and as the director general of the Prime Minister's office, was one of the first to join the Yashar party headed by former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot, slated to be a top contender to Netanyahu in the next general election. Within party lines, Horowitz heads a task force to coordinate plans for the first 100 days of a government headed by Eisenkot.Haaretz Election Podcast with Nagham Zbeedat and Dahlia Scheindlin: Could a Jewish politician joining an Islamist party shake up Israel's elections?In his interviews, Horowitz said he blocked employees from signing the loyalty pledge, but said that nevertheless, staff at the Prime Minister's Office and residence displayed personal loyalty to the Netanyahu family – a loyalty he described as an "obsession."Horowitz recounted an incident in which he physically blocked the prime minister's wife, Sara Netanyahu, after she attempted to attack Eli Groner, a former director general of the Prime Minister's Office. Horowitz said that PM Netanyahu was aware of his wife's behavior and that the two were "one entity."He added that Sara and their son, Yair Netanyahu, were "very, very aggressively involved" in running the Prime Minister's Office, and said they had influenced several decisions, including the installation of metal detectors at the Temple Mount in 2017.Horowitz also described how in 2018, Netanyahu backed out of a deal with the United Nations refugee agency on the resettling of African asylum seekers who had arrived in Israel, following pressure from members of his family.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, together with his wife Sara, votes at the inner-Likud Party elections in Jerusalem in November 2025. Credit: Olivier FitoussiPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, together with his wife Sara, votes at the inner-Likud Party elections in Jerusalem in November 2025. Credit: Olivier FitoussiThe deal was set to stop the forced deportation to Africa from Israel of asylum seekers, resettle 16,000 of them in Israel and the same number in Western countries.According to Horowitz, after the order was announced and following pressure from within his party and from coalition members, Netanyahu was on "a phone call came from home. There was shouting on the other end." Afterward, Horowitz recounted, "The prime minister turned to me and said, 'Yoav, cancel the decision. I've changed my mind.'"The former staffer also said that Netanyahu would often tell him, "If I'm not here, there's nothing here," and expressed concern that there would be no suitable replacement to lead Israel if he were to become incapacitated.Yoav Horowitz in an interview with Kan 11, Friday. Credit: Kan 11 Yoav Horowitz in an interview with Kan 11, Friday. Credit: Kan 11 According to Horowitz, Netanyahu is aware of the improper conduct taking place in his office. "When you have a court that has been isolated for many years, with one-man rule and frightened, intimidated people, then the rules and laws of the country are not being upheld," he said.He added: "I think that since 2019, there has not really been democracy in Israel. There is a Prime Minister's Office that completely controls the Knesset, has humiliated the judicial system, taken over the police, and there are no checks and balances."Since resigning in 2019, Horowitz gave several interviews voicing his objection to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, of whom he was once considered a close associate and confidant.In 2023, Horowitz was seen at the anti-government protests in Tel Aviv, on Kaplan Street, causing a widespread uproar from Netanyahu supporters.ספוטד בקפלן: מנכ"ל משרד רה"מ וראש הסגל של נתניהו לשעבר יואב הורוביץLikud responded to Horowitz's latest interviews by saying: "Everyone already knows the method: Anyone looking for a hug from the media knows exactly what they need to do – smear the Netanyahu family. When Yoav Horowitz took part in the Kaplan protests, he marked his new political home on the left long ago. The moves, statements and political alliances make one thing clear – Eisenkot is a direct continuation of the Kaplan protest movement, and Horowitz is just another example of this."In March 2020, Horowitz was quoted by Haaretz as saying: "The damage Netanyahu plans to cause the state, democracy, the judicial system and anything built here in 70 years to escape justice is graver and more terrible than everything that happened to us in the most difficult war; it will take decades to fix."Three years later, in an interview with Haaretz, Horowitz said that while he had not foreseen the judicial overhaul launched by the Netanyahu government in 2023, he had recognized that Netanyahu was single-mindedly focused on his goal. "I didn't foresee the judicial coup, but I saw he was focused on a target. For him, losing isn't an option. He won't rest until the entire court system is on the floor, asking for forgiveness. He's a master of manipulation and campaigning."Horowitz added, "I was afraid of where things were heading. He [the prime minister] saw himself as a Caesar or president of a superpower. I saw how much he wanted to be like Putin. He now wants unlimited power." Finally, Horowitz expressed his support for the protest, saying: "If it wanes, he will interpret this as weakness and forge ahead."In the NewsEmerging Middle East Pact Seen in Israel as Sign of Waning U.S. InfluenceThe Israeli-Canadian Activist Taking Prime Minister Carney to CourtHaredi Crowd Gathers for Weekly Protest Outside Jerusalem Cafe Open on ShabbatReport: U.S. General Urges Trump Officials to Seek 'Off-ramp' From Iran WarWe Were Sent to Rehab in Bnei Brak. We Discovered Another WorldRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIHow Israel's Elbit Armed the United Arab EmiratesIsrael Captured 230 Square Miles of Lebanon, Razed Villages and Built New BasesIt's No Wonder Israelis Want War. 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