Channel 12 Reporter Sues Presenter Yinon Magal for Defamation

A Tel Aviv court held a hearing Tuesday in a NIS 1 million defamation lawsuit filed by Channel 12 and its legal correspondent Guy Peleg against Channel 14 presenter Yinon Magal. The core dispute centers on whether Magal's publication was a clear joke or a false report presented as news.

The lawsuit stems from posts Magal made on X and Telegram in November 2024, claiming Peleg was being held at a Shin Bet interrogation facility following the broadcast of a video from the Field Unit of the Yemen base. Magal also alleged Peleg was denied legal counsel and that reporting restrictions were imposed on the investigation's details.

Channel 12 and Peleg asserted in their suit that Peleg was never arrested or interrogated by the Shin Bet, and that Magal's publication damaged his reputation, integrity, and professional standing. They stated that numerous individuals contacted Peleg, his family, and colleagues to verify the report.

During the hearing, Peleg's son, Uri Peleg, testified that he saw the post while in military service and was alarmed by the thought that something had happened to his father. His mother, Karin Horowitz, testified that their son was "very agitated." Channel 12 commentator Amnon Abramovich also testified, describing Magal's post as "a lie, malicious, and fiction." He recounted that people, including a former security official, approached him to inquire if Peleg had indeed been arrested, noting that the post was perceived as extremely serious due to its precise, news-like format.

Peleg himself testified that hundreds of people expressed concern, stating, "Even five million [NIS] will not compensate me for what this terrible man did to me." When Magal's lawyer suggested the post was a joke, Peleg retorted, "A joke? In your eyes. The court will decide if it's funny."

Magal maintained that his post was satire and that his followers understood it as a joke. His lawyer argued that the language on X is "cynical and sarcastic," calling the post "a joke, perhaps not a funny one." Magal testified, "Some of the texts I put out, it's clear to any sane person that it's ridiculous, the punchline is that you don't put a punchline, you don't put an emoji. It was clear to me that anyone who read it would understand it was a joke." He later exclaimed, "They are conducting a Dreyfus trial against me!"

Following the hearing, Judge Mital Tsafroni set a deadline of 45 days for the parties to submit their written summations.