Reporter Hadas Steif Ordered to Pay Former Bar Head Avi Naim

A court has ordered journalist Hadas Steif and the radio station Galai Tzahal (Army Radio) to pay 600,000 shekels in compensation to Avi Naim, the former head of the Israel Bar Association. The ruling was made by Judge Oren Schwartz of the Lod District Court.

Steif, who was Galai Tzahal's crime correspondent at the time, received content from Naim's cell phones in late 2018. According to a state prosecution document from 2021, the phones were formatted and empty of content when they reached Steif. She then contacted an individual who helped extract information from the devices, and the materials were subsequently transferred to law enforcement.

The information from the phones raised suspicions about Naim's conduct, including his alleged connections with Judge Eti Kraif and potential impropriety in judicial appointments. This led to a criminal investigation into a "sex for appointment" scandal.

However, Naim argued that his phones were taken unlawfully and that the personal information was extracted in violation of his privacy. He subsequently filed a civil lawsuit against Steif, Galai Tzahal personnel, and others, initially seeking millions of shekels and claiming Steif illegally possessed the devices and their contents.

Steif reacted to the ruling, stating, "Unbelievable. The judge from the Lod District Court ruled against me in favor of Avi Naim. Do you understand? It doesn't matter that he rejected the 7 million [shekels] Avi demanded. But even what he awarded him? Sad. This is the gift I received from the state and from Galai Tzahal for 35 years of work, and the best stories this station ever had."