Ben Gvir Sues Gadi Eisenkot for Defamation Over Incitement Claims

Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has filed a NIS 100,000 defamation lawsuit against Knesset member Gadi Eisenkot and his party, "Yisrael Beiteinu." The lawsuit stems from remarks Eisenkot made on a Kan 11 podcast, "How to Do Things," where he discussed the spread of violent TikTok videos containing messages like "the only way is to kill" and "a good Arab is a dead Arab," alongside encouragement of violence and bullying. Eisenkot then stated, "And when I look at the phenomenon called Itamar Ben Gvir," implying Ben Gvir was the source of these messages.

In his lawsuit, filed through his attorney Ze'ev Wolf, Ben Gvir vehemently denies ever promoting or distributing videos with calls to kill or the phrase "a good Arab is a dead Arab," calling Eisenkot's statements a "complete lie." He is seeking NIS 100,000 in damages without needing to prove financial loss, as well as the removal of the offending segment from all party platforms and a clear retraction.

The legal action occurs amidst a tense election campaign, with escalating confrontations between right-wing and center-left parties. Ben Gvir's move is intended to set a boundary against public accusations and clear his name. Conversely, political circles suggest Eisenkot's statements align with his party's platform, which focuses on combating extremist discourse and online bullying.