The Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday categorically denied claims made by a foreign worker hired to care for Shmuel Ben-Arzi, father of Sara Netanyahu, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's wife. The worker claimed she was injured in an altercation with Mrs. Netanyahu, was not provided with food and vacations while on the job, and was virtually jailed in the prime minister's residence, where she cared for Sara's father. After she was hired to care for Sara Netanyahu's father, the foreign worker, a citizen of Nepal, was suspected of inappropriate care and was fired. The worker then asked for help and turned to the media claiming she was abused by Mrs. Netanyahu. Channel 2 TV station aired an interview with the worker, Tara Kormi, on Tuesday, during which she said, "She [Sara Netanyahu] ran towards me, and I was frightened. I moved back, fell down, and my chin was cut open. I was not given food there. I asked for a vacation, and didn't get one. Suddenly, she came to me yesterday and told me she was going to send me back to the country I came from. Sara does not behave nicely when she is angry, and sometimes even curses. As for the prime minister, I have no qualms against him, he behaves in a dignified manner." According to the Prime Minister's Office, the Netanyahus were not satisfied with the Kormi's work for a substantial period of time. They cited the fact that Kormi did not report to them that Sara's father fell down and was hurt while under her care. The Netanyahu family asked the company that employed Kormi to replace her, but nothing was done about it. Several weeks ago, Kormi was suspected of stealing money from Ben-Arzi's account and the Netanyahus once again asked that she be replaced. When Kormi was told that she was being replaced, she confronted Sara Netanyahu, and, according to the Prime Minister's Office, "went wild, shouted, banged on the table, fell down, and hurt her hand. A doctor who examined her, decided there was no reason to administer any medical care and she only required a band-aid, which means her injuries were not serious." There was no physical contact Ben-Arzi's condition has deteriorated in the past months. He was recently hospitalized, and upon his release, moved into the prime minister's residence. Kormi moved into the residence with him. A statement released by the Prime Minister's Office said, "The claims made by the foreign worker are false. When she was told that she would be fired, which may lead to her deportation, she fabricated a story, and now a cynical campaign is being directed against the Netanyahu family. At no point was there ever any physical contact between Sara Netanyahu and the foreign worker. We have had enough of the automatic mud-slinging at the Netanyahu family, and we need to let Mrs. Netanyahu take care of her 96-year-old father, who is suffering from a serious illness." The Prime Minister's Office presented a document on Tuesday stating that the request to replace Kormi was submitted in January 2011. The document, signed by a Clalit Health Fund doctor, and addressed to the Interior Ministry, said that the "foreign worker's visa should not be extended because the quality of her work has recently been declining, and she can no longer handle the complex care of her patient. The family is interested in replacing her." The Hotline for Migrant Workers and Physicians for Human Rights released a statement saying, "If the worker's claims are found to be true, we are talking about negating her freedom, and pressuring her while taking advantage of her weakness. Her complaints should be investigated by authorities responsible for these types of investigations." Not the first time
In January 2010, Sara Netanyahu filed a lawsuit against Maariv based on a story that appeared in the paper claiming that she fired an elderly man who was employed as a gardener at the prime ministers residence.
In the same month, Lillian Peretz, a lady who was hired to clean the Netanyahu residence filed a suit against Sara Netanyahu for what she claimed was mistreatment and underpayment.
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