A Nepali maid working in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu´s house has accused that the PM´s wife Sara Netanyahu did not feed her, cursed at her and didn´t give her leisure time, The Jerusalem Post reported Tuesday. The maid identified only as "T," was employed by the Netanyahus to look after Sara Netanyahu´s 96-year-old father, Shmuel Ben-Artzi, who was recently released from Hadassah University Hospital´s intensive care unit, and has been living for the past several weeks with the Netanyahus, according to the report.

The Jerusalem Post, attributing Channel 2, an Israeli commercial television channel, said Sara suspected "T", who has been with Ben-Artzi for more than two years, of neglect and stealing money from her father.

She has reportedly hired a lawyer and lodged a complaint with the Hotline for Migrant Workers and Physicians for Human Rights which issued a statement on Tuesday saying they have received a complaint that "raised serious suspicions about the work conditions of "T," a migrant worker who lived in the Prime Minister´s Residence in Jerusalem and was employed as a caretaker for Sara Netanyahu´s father."

"The statement said the complaint alleged "T" was prevented from leaving the residence and was not paid severance pay "with the intention of ensuring that she would leave the country," the daily added. "We are certain that this complaint will be examined by the relevant trustworthy bodies, and that the investigation will be carried out in an unbiased fashion," the newspaper quoted the statement.

Meanwhile the Israeli Prime Minister´s Office (PMO) Tuesday night issued a strong denial claiming the true story was "completely opposite" of what was reported, the newspaper, which claimed Sara has had a history of bad behavior with her staffers, reported.

The PMO´s statement claimed, according to The Jerusalem Post report, the complaints registered by the worker were without foundation, and made only after it became known to her that the agency employing her was asked to find a replacement because she was negligent in her treatment of Ben-Artzi for a number of months.

"When it became known to her that she was about to be fired - something that could lead to her being deported from the country - she made up the story, and now there is a cynical and unworthy campaign against the Netanyahu family," the news report quoted the PMO´s statement.

Published on: 1 September 2011 | Republica