Jakarta, ThedailyID — Benjamin Netanyahu’s former lover and strategic adviser, Dr. Ruth Bar, has spoken publicly about their affair more than three decades after it became a political scandal in Israel.
Bar recently discussed the affair for the first time since Netanyahu publicly acknowledged their relationship in 1993. At the time, Netanyahu was campaigning for the Likud leadership.
The scandal began after an anonymous caller contacted Netanyahu’s home. The caller reportedly threatened his wife, Sara Netanyahu, who answered the phone.
The caller said the affair would become public unless Netanyahu withdrew from the leadership race. The threat also involved recordings that allegedly showed the extramarital relationship.
Netanyahu decided to address the matter before the alleged recordings could emerge. He went to a television studio then known as Channel 1 and admitted the affair during a live broadcast.
However, Bar said she learned about Netanyahu’s plan only shortly before the broadcast. She shared the account with journalist Ben Caspit of Israeli news outlet Maariv.
During a Friday night broadcast on Channel 12, Caspit also noted that no recording of the affair ever existed.
The scandal did not end either Netanyahu’s marriage or his political career. Netanyahu later became Israel’s prime minister in 1996.
Bar also managed to keep her identity private for years. She went on to build a career as a psychologist and strategic consultant.
She is now preparing to publish a book titled Moah Tahat Hashpa’ah, or Brain Under the Influence. The book focuses on decision-making mechanisms and branding strategy.
According to Caspit, Bar’s relationship with Netanyahu lasted several years. However, Netanyahu removed her from his political circle after the affair became public.
The episode remains one of the more notable scandals from Netanyahu’s early political career.
