Trail of Netanyahu family name change: Yair Netanyahu follows father Benjamin and brother Avner. What’s his name now? | Today’s news
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s eldest son Yair Netanyahu has reportedly changed his legal name to Yonatan Hun, a move that drew attention after official records revealed the change. The new identity appeared in Israeli tax authority documents, while his identification details included the same tax identification number and address. according to the Israeli daily Haaretz, it remained unchanged.
The name change was discovered through tax records that listed Yair Netanyahu under his new name. Earlier documents from December 2024 reportedly carried his previous name, while more recent records listed the name Yonatan Hun along with the same identifying information.
The reason for the reported change has not been publicly explained. However, the new name appears to have ties to Netanyahu’s family background. “Yonatan” is associated with Benjamin Netanyahu’s older brother, Yonatan Netanyahu, who was killed during a hostage rescue operation in Entebbe in 1976. The surname “Hun” was associated with the original surname of Yair’s maternal grandfather, Shmuel Ben Artzi, before it was changed.
Benjamin Netanyahu name change
The development also renewed attention on previous instances of Netanyahu family members using different names. Benjamin Netanyahu himself reportedly used the name “Ben Nitai” while studying in the United States. According to the report, Netanyahu adopted the name because he planned to move to the US and wanted an identity that would be easier to pronounce and more commercially appealing.
Changing the younger son’s name
His younger son Avner Netanyahu also used a different name in official records abroad, including during the property registration process in the United Kingdom, where he was listed as “Avi Avner Segal”.
The apartment was purchased in England near London in 2022 for £502,500, according to records at the British Land Registry, Ynet news reported. The full amount was paid to the seller and no lien was recorded on the property, indicating that the purchase was made without a mortgage or loan.
Around the same time, Avner Netanyahu enrolled in a master’s degree at Regent’s Park College, Oxford. He enrolled in a program focusing on Middle Eastern history and archeology under the name Avi Segal instead of his known identity, making his connection to his father less obvious.
He was listed as Avi Segal on the college’s internal profile page, and the same name was also used for his institutional email address.
Segal was the original family name of Tzila, Benjamin Netanyahu’s mother and the brothers’ grandmother before she married Benzion Netanyahu.
About Yair Netanyahu
Yair Netanyahu, who has often remained in the spotlight for his political views and public statements, has been living in the US in recent years. The announced name change comes as his social media presence and public identity continue to be associated with the Yair Netanyahu name.
The change has sparked controversy due to its connection to a wider pattern within the Netanyahu family of using alternative names, whether for personal, historical or privacy reasons. Although no official explanation has been given for Yair Netanyahu’s reported decision, the adoption of the word “Yonatan Hun” appears to reflect references to both his paternal and maternal family.
