Channel 14 Fined for Defamation Over 'Antisemite' Remarks

A Jerusalem court has ordered Channel 14 to pay NIS 25,000 in compensation and legal expenses to attorney and activist Barak Cohen. The ruling stems from a 2020 broadcast on "HaPatriotim," then aired on Channel 20 and now known as Channel 14, where journalist Yehuda Schlesinger called Cohen an "antisemite" and a "hater of Israel." The court found these epithets to constitute defamation.

The incident occurred during a live discussion about antisemitism on social media. Schlesinger stated on air, "This is a hater of Israel, an antisemite, everything our children should not learn to be." The segment was later re-published on Channel 14's official Facebook and Twitter pages under the headline, "Yehuda Schlesinger Opens Up About Barak Cohen."

Cohen had initially sued Schlesinger and the channel's operating company for NIS 150,000. A settlement was reached with Schlesinger in June 2024, leaving the current ruling to address the channel's liability for the social media reposting. Judge Edna Yossef-Kozin ruled that while the channel had a "good faith" defense regarding the live broadcast, as it couldn't have reasonably prevented Schlesinger's remarks, this defense did not apply to the planned reposting on social media.

The court rejected the argument that the remarks were protected opinion, noting they were not supported by the video of Cohen confronting Sheldon Adelson and were unnecessary for criticizing Adelson's behavior. The judge acknowledged that Cohen's own statements towards Adelson were "harsh, contemptuous, and insulting," and that his calls for Adelson's death were inappropriate. In determining the compensation, the court considered the severity of the remarks, their dissemination, and the channel's lack of apology, while also factoring in Cohen's own past use of harsh language against opponents. Channel 14 has 30 days to pay the award. The channel did not respond to a request for comment.