Court Rules Against Bardugo, Increases Payout to Journalist Drucker

The Tel Aviv District Court on Thursday rejected appeals filed by Yaakov Bardugo, Galatz, Noam Fathi, Yotam Zimri, and Radio Galey Yisrael. The court had previously ordered them to pay journalist Raviv Drucker NIS 180,000 in compensation and additional expenses. The court also partially accepted Drucker's cross-appeal, increasing the total compensation to NIS 285,000, including additional expenses.

Drucker stated that he had filed a lawsuit five years prior against Bardugo, Fathi, and Zimri, as well as the radio stations where they broadcast, for publishing false statements about him. He won the initial case, with the defendants ordered to pay NIS 180,000. They appealed the verdict, and Drucker appealed the amount of compensation. The district court upheld their appeal rejection and partially granted his appeal, resulting in an additional NIS 105,000 payment.

The case originated in 2021 following statements made on radio broadcasts concerning a column by Drucker. In his column, Drucker discussed recordings he possessed that could have embarrassed politician Benny Gantz. Bardugo, Fathi, and Zimri accused Drucker of attempting to pressure Gantz using this information. Drucker maintained these were false publications distorting his words and filed a libel suit for NIS 1 million.

In February 2025, the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court partially accepted the lawsuit, ruling that the defendants had attributed statements to Drucker that he did not write and had presented a misleading picture to listeners. The judge at the time ordered the defendants, including Galatz, Galey Yisrael, and Radio Darom, to pay Drucker NIS 150,000 in compensation plus NIS 30,000 in legal expenses.