'Yelling, tongue lashing, and long hours' typical in Netanyahu household, new testimony says

"I am asking for nothing more than what I was promised and deserve according to the law," says Manny Naftali of his lawsuit against the Netanyahu couple.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Binyamin and Sara Netanyahu leave for the US. (photo credit: AVI OHAYON - GPO)
Binyamin and Sara Netanyahu leave for the US.
(photo credit: AVI OHAYON - GPO)
New evidence in the lawsuit against Sara Netanyahu filed by Manny Naftali,  the former overseer of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence, surfaced Sunday.
The new evidence, in the form of two testimonies of former employees that echo Naftali's accusations, makes harsh claims against the prime minister's wife's behavior.
Emmanuel Sela, also a former overseer of the residence, gave one of the statements at Jerusalem Labor Court, saying that he was required to work long hours for which he was not remunerated.
"Sara's treatment of the household workers was unbearable," he said. Sela described a household in which "screaming, tongue lashing, non-stop pressure, and contradicting orders given by the prime minister and his wife simultaneously," were typical.
The constant physical and emotional pressure took a toll on Sela who retired from the position following a heart attack which he attributes to the job's high demands.
An additional worker at the residence, Guy Eliahu, said in his testimony that Sara Netanyahu would "ask me to bring her food, and when I would return with the requested food she would accuse me of trying to make her fat."
Eliyahu said that on one occasion, he was called back to the residence after he had already gone home, "after midnight, just so I could heat up a bowl of soup for Mrs. Netanyahu." He said that upon returning to the residence he was reprimanded by Mrs. Netanyahu and told that he must come back to the residence no matter the hour if she wanted food.
Eliyahu also claimed that he was called back to the residence on one occasion because he had not wished Mrs. Netanyahu goodnight when he left work.
Naftali said that since the original filing of the lawsuit in March 2014, Netanyahu has actively sought to slander him and his reputation.
"Netanyahu knows I fully fulfilled my role as overseer of his residence- I am asking for nothing more than what I was promised and deserve according to the law," he said.
Naftali, who was first employed as a bodyguard to Sara before being promoted to overseer of the residence, sued the Netanyahu couple for NIS 1 million in damages on the claims that obligations to him were not fulfilled and sufficient overtime went unpaid.
In December, the Jerusalem Labor Court ruled that the trial in the lawsuit be postponed and take place following the March 17th election, in order to give Netanyahu more time to prepare.
Regardless, affidavits are to be filed by February.
Since filing, Naftali has struggled to enlist testimonies of additional household employees against Netanyahu.
He claims that for some, fear of being reprimanded as a result of speaking up serves as a silencing factor.