Court Rejects Bid to Dismiss Charges Against Blogger in Netanyahu Trial Witness Case

A Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court has rejected a request by blogger Eli Zippori and Avi Weiss to dismiss the indictment against them for allegedly harassing a state witness in the trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Zippori and Weiss are accused of publishing the address of Hadas Klein, a key prosecution witness in Netanyahu's corruption trial.

According to the indictment, Zippori, who runs a blog covering the Netanyahu trial, posted a picture of Klein's home facade and her address in July 2022. The post criticized Klein for her testimony about family burdens and risk of dismissal, while residing in a villa reportedly worth 10 million shekels. Weiss, editor of the TelecomNews website, is accused of responding with a screenshot from the 144 directory containing Klein's full address and sharing Zippori's post on Twitter and his website.

The defense argued that the actions did not constitute an offense, or were trivial matters, and that the indictment was a result of selective enforcement, citing other journalists not prosecuted for similar publications concerning witnesses. The prosecution countered that Zippori was not indicted for his critical remarks about Klein, but specifically for publishing her address. The court noted that publishing the address could be interpreted as a threat, implying "We know where you live," potentially inciting people to go to her home, but deferred a final decision on the interpretation and intent to the trial.

The court also dismissed the claim of selective enforcement, stating the defense had not presented sufficiently similar cases to prove discrimination. Judge Itay Harmelin emphasized the need for clear guidelines on prosecuting witness harassment to ensure equal enforcement, as the absence of written policy could lead to perceptions of bias.

With the preliminary request denied, the criminal proceedings against Zippori and Weiss will continue with a hearing of evidence.