Netanyahu sues Israeli media for at least 2.6 million shekels — Jerusalem Post
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has filed a defamation lawsuit with the Jerusalem District Court seeking at least 2.6 million shekels from Israeli media outlets, six journalists and commentators. The lawsuit concerns publications about warnings he allegedly received before Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, which, according to the media reports, he did not pass on to the heads of Israel’s security services.
As The Jerusalem Post reports, the defendants include Haaretz, Yedioth Ahronot, Ynet News and Channel 12. The journalists and commentators named in the lawsuit include Shlomi Eldar, Ruth Yuval, Uri Misgav, Nadav Eyal, Barak Ravid and Attila Somfalvi.
Report of a UAE warning
One of the challenged publications was based on a claim that United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed warned Netanyahu in late September 2023 that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was preparing a large-scale operation. In September, Haaretz published a report stating that the politicians had held a conversation lasting about 45 minutes.
According to the outlet’s account, Netanyahu did not pass this information on to the defense minister, the chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, the director of the Shin Bet, or the director of Mossad. The Prime Minister’s Office denied that such a conversation took place. The lawsuit also states that the office’s official records contain no information about direct contact between Netanyahu and the UAE president between September 1 and October 7, 2023.
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Haaretz had previously refused to remove the investigation, apologize and pay Netanyahu 1 million shekels. The newspaper said the material was the result of extensive work with sources on a matter of significant public interest and that it was prepared to defend the publication in court.
Egypt episode
The second part of the lawsuit concerns a Ynet report based on an article by The Wall Street Journal. It claimed that Abbas Kamel, then head of Egyptian intelligence, called Netanyahu in early October 2023 and warned him of an approaching attack from the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu denied that he had spoken with or met Kamel in the months before October 7, and also said that no Israeli intelligence official had passed such a warning on to him. The prime minister claims that the publications were deliberate and pursued political and commercial aims. The lawsuit does not require proof of specific financial damages; the defendants will have 60 days after official service of the documents to file responses to the lawsuit.
