Ben-Gvir Sues Gadi Eisenkot for Defamation Over Remarks

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has filed a NIS 100,000 defamation lawsuit against MK Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, and the party itself. The lawsuit stems from comments Eisenkot made in a July interview on the "How to Do Things" podcast, broadcast by Kan 11.

In the interview, Eisenkot discussed violent TikTok videos targeting youth, stating that some politicians exploit these platforms with messages advocating violence and racism, such as "the only way is to kill" and "a good Arab is a dead Arab." He then described the phenomenon associated with Itamar Ben-Gvir as "very worrying and shaking."

Ben-Gvir's lawsuit, filed by attorney Ze'ev Wolf, argues that Eisenkot's remarks directly linked him to these violent and racist messages, accusing him of promoting incitement to murder, racism, violence, and bullying. Ben-Gvir denies ever publishing or promoting such content, calling Eisenkot's statements "falsehoods" rather than an expression of opinion.

The interview was distributed on various Kan 11 platforms and the Yisrael Beiteinu party's YouTube channel. According to the lawsuit, as of September 3, the Kan 11 YouTube video had over 10,000 views, while the party's channel garnered more than 1.4 million views for the segment.

Ben-Gvir claims that a prior demand letter sent to Eisenkot and his party requesting the removal, correction, and denial of the publication was ignored. The minister is now seeking NIS 100,000 in damages without proof of loss, along with the removal of the offending segment and the publication of a correction and denial.