Yair Netanyahu, Israel’s controversial “playboy”
Yair, 32, is an outspoken and polarising figure in Israel. He is the first of two sons from Benjamin and his third wife, Sara. He is widely referred to as the “playboy” in the family. He reportedly studied theatre in high school and completed the compulsory national service in a spokesperson unit instead of a combat role.
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He spent much of 2023 in the US, reportedly hoping to gain residency. He “fled” to Miami after his father disapproved of his social media posts, reported Asharq Al-Awsat.
Yair Netanyahu’s splashy Miami condo
New photographs published by British media in February show Yair on the balcony of a luxury condo in Miami in Florida, US, where he spent much of last year. The condo reportedly has tennis courts, a spa, game lounge, private cinema, cigar room and wine cellar. The condo has been widely reported as costing around US$5,000 per month in rent. Yair reportedly also has two bodyguards from Israel’s Shin Bet – the elite internal security service – protecting him.
In March last year, before the Israel-Gaza war began, a ministerial panel in Israel voted for the Shin Bet to protect the Netanyahu family. This was after Benjamin’s wife Sara was left vulnerable at a hair salon during political protests in the area, per Times of Israel.
Yair’s stay in Miami reportedly costs around 1 million Israeli shekels (US$275,000) per month.
The Israel-Gaza war controversy
Yair’s stay in Miami sparked outrage shortly after the Israel-Gaza war began on October 7 last year. The son of Israel’s prime minister was away from his home country despite the initial attack by Hamas and the ongoing war.
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Yair eventually returned to his home country amid mounting pressure. Strategic photos of him doing volunteer work for United Hatzalah in the emergency call centre were subsequently released. But Yair only stayed in Israel for just over a month, reported Jerusalem Post, resulting in even more condemnation.
Even more controversies
Per NDTV, in 2018, Yair’s Facebook was blocked for 24 hours after he said there would be no peace in Israel until “all Muslims leave”.
The same year, he was caught on video drunk outside a strip club. In the recording, he suggested his father helped push through a US$20 billion deal to benefit a gas tycoon, per The Guardian. Netizens also took issue with the fact that state drivers were apparently chauffeuring Yair between strip clubs.
Yair issued an apology while his father released a statement criticising his son. However, the family ultimately resorted to condemning the media coverage after the massive political fallout from the recordings.
In August last year, Yair was ordered by court officials to compensate a woman who sued him after he insinuated that she had an affair with his father’s political rival, per the Associated Press. He had to pay US$34,000 in damage costs and US$6,000 in legal fees.
In 2023, a journalist took legal action against Yair, claiming that Yair had misquoted him in a published article, per Times of Israel. Yair was also ordered by a judge to pay US$18,000 to Israel’s opposition Labour Party after Yair called him ugly.
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The Yair Netanhayu Show
In 2017, as Yair began to emerge as a vocal mouthpiece for his father, his profile was raised after a fight involving dog poop. Per the BBC, Yair was lambasted on social media for allegedly refusing to pick up his dog’s poop while on a walk. The post went viral and soon resulted in another article detailing his extravagant lifestyle and how he uses state money. Yair clapped back at the report, kicking off a vicious war of words.
His various controversies and apparent resolve to defend his father at all costs led to the start of his podcast and YouTube channel, The Yair Netanyahu Show. Yair often takes to social media to slam Israeli detractors and his father’s opposition.
