Tally Gotliv Says Timing of Court Ruling Is Suspicious After Partial Win in Libel Case

MK Tally Gotliv responded on Tuesday to a Central District Court ruling in a defamation lawsuit filed against her by activist Shikma Bressler, saying the timing was “surprising” and hinting it was not accidental. The case was heard in the Central District Court in Lod, where Judge Rami Haimovich partly accepted Gotliv’s request to dismiss the suit on parliamentary immunity grounds, but said her immunity is not absolute.

In a post on social media, Gotliv said that a day after the Knesset House Committee determined she has substantive immunity, the court published a decision, after about a year and a half, dismissing most of Bressler’s claims on the threshold because of immunity. She said only two issues remain unresolved, Bressler’s alleged meeting with the head of the Mossad and allegations about intercepting conversations between Bressler’s partner and Yahya Sinwar. She added that the judge said more factual clarification was needed regarding her sources, and only then will he decide on immunity for that matter.

According to a summary of the ruling published by the Courts Administration, Bressler is considered a public figure, and as an MK, Gotliv has broad latitude to criticize her public conduct, express opinions, and address issues related to the events of October 7 and what led to them. The court said such statements are at the core of parliamentary activity and therefore enjoy wide immunity, even when phrased harshly, so major parts of the lawsuit were dismissed outright.

Still, the court said several factual claims need further examination. Those include publications concerning Bressler’s husband, a Shin Bet officer, and the exposure of his identity. The ruling noted that the Supreme Court has previously held that deliberate exposure of a security service officer’s identity is not necessarily covered by parliamentary immunity. The judge stressed that the decision applies only to the civil defamation case, not to any criminal proceeding or to criminal immunity, which is handled by the Knesset under the Immunity Law.