Court Rejects Sara Netanyahu's Bid to Dismiss Yair Golan's Defamation Suit
Translated & summarized from i24NEWS by baba
A court rejected Sara Netanyahu's request to dismiss a defamation lawsuit filed by Yair Golan, ordering her to pay 2,000 shekels in legal costs. Netanyahu had claimed she was not responsible for the broadcast of her remarks, but the judge ruled she consented to the publication. The lawsuit concerns Netanyahu's implication that Golan had prior knowledge of the October 7th attack.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- A court rejected Sara Netanyahu's request to dismiss Yair Golan's defamation lawsuit against her.
- The court ordered Sara Netanyahu to pay 2,000 shekels in legal costs.
- The judge ruled Netanyahu's claims lacked basis and her attempt to distance herself from publication was artificial.
- Netanyahu had argued she was not responsible for the broadcast of her interview.
- The lawsuit stems from Netanyahu's implication that Golan had prior knowledge of the October 7th attack.
A court on Sunday rejected a request by Sara Netanyahu, wife of the Prime Minister, to dismiss a defamation lawsuit filed against her by Yair Golan, chairman of the Democrats. The court ruled that her claims "lack any basis" and ordered her to pay 2,000 shekels in legal costs.
Netanyahu had argued that she was merely giving a "traditional interview" and that "responsibility for publication and distribution rests solely with third parties and media outlets like Channel 14." However, the judge dismissed these arguments, stating that Netanyahu was interviewed with the knowledge and consent that her remarks would be broadcast to the public.
The judge found Netanyahu's attempt to distance herself from the broadcast to be artificial, asserting that there is no justification for separating the "publication" aspect by the interviewee from the "publication" by the interviewing and broadcasting entity, as they are two sides of the same coin. Golan responded by stating that the ruling proves the "poison machine" does not shy away from lies about October 7th heroes or attempts to undermine public trust in the justice system. He added that those who incite hatred and spread false accusations will not escape responsibility and that they will continue to pursue justice in court.
The lawsuit stems from an August 31 interview on Channel 14, where Netanyahu implied that Golan was aware of the October 7th Hamas attack in advance, before the Prime Minister. She stated, "You claim you are a fighter on October 7th, you were already there in the morning, dressed and ready. At a very early hour, when others did not know, such as the Prime Minister." Golan filed his lawsuit several days later.
