Bibi says wife didn’t kick him out of car in court soap opera

Tel Aviv, March 14: Israel saw a soap operalike spectacle on Tuesday as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu testified in court to deny a claim his wife had kicked him out of the car during a fight.

“It didn’t happen,” Mr Netanyahu said at the court in Tel Aviv, where he and his wife entered under tight security to testify in their defamation suit against the journalist who made the claim on social media.

His hands behind his back, his face tense, Mr Netanyahu said, “it is so false, so absurd, ridiculous.”

The case has been closely followed by the Israeli media, with the unusual scene of a sitting Prime Minister and his wife, Sara, testifying in court over such a claim making headlines.

It follows a post by a journalist on his Facebook account last year making the claim, resulting in the Mr Netanyahu’s defamation suit.

The journalist, Igal Sarna, posted that a fight between the Netanyahus had occurred while they were travelling as part of the premier’s official convoy on a highway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

According to Sarna, who works for the popular Yediot Aharonot newspaper, Mr Netanyahu was forced out of the car amid shouting.

The Netanyahus are a frequent topic of gossip and rumours among Israelis, and Mr Netanyahu said he wanted the truth to be known in this instance.