Yair Netanyahu, the son of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has changed his name to Yonatan Hon, according to Israeli tax records reported by Haaretz. The shift follows years of controversy surrounding the family’s political and business engagements, with identifying details in 2026 filings now appearing under the new name.
This transition comes as the Netanyahu family name faces heightened political and legal complications globally.
Yair has previously faced significant scrutiny in 2018, when Israeli television aired a recording of him boasting outside a strip club about his father facilitating a multibillion-dollar gas deal for a tycoon. He has since cultivated business links in the United States, including ties to far-right figures.
The Prime Minister himself continues to manage the fallout from three separate corruption investigations in Israel, alongside an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant issued regarding alleged war crimes in Gaza.
Name changes have become a recurring feature within the family. Yair’s brother, Avner, reportedly adopted the name “Avi Segal”, their paternal grandmother’s maiden name, roughly five years ago.
Under the alias, he purchased an apartment in Oxford, England, for GBP502,000 in cash, a move widely interpreted as an attempt to avoid public scrutiny.
The practice extends further back, with Benjamin Netanyahu himself adopting the pseudonym “Ben Nitai” while living in the United States during the 1980s.
