Israeli Economy Minister Launches $600,000 Legal Aid Campaign Against Channel 12

Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat has initiated a large-scale outdoor and digital campaign titled "Channel 12 Victims, You Have Support" aimed at encouraging citizens, soldiers, and reservists harmed by Channel 12 news reports to seek legal assistance. The campaign is funded by a special two-million-shekel (approximately $600,000) private fund established by Barkat himself, called the "Defamation Fund 12," which provides legal aid to those facing defamation or silencing attempts by Channel 12, particularly within the right-wing community.

The fund is managed by a professional steering committee led by Professor Moshe Cohen Elia and attorney Amir Rozenberg. It has already achieved a notable success by securing the dismissal of a major defamation lawsuit filed by Channel 12 against journalist Eli Tzipori, who defended soldiers from the "Force 100" unit. Barkat’s campaign is part of his broader effort to combat what he describes as "blood libel" against Force 100 soldiers and silencing lawsuits targeting right-wing journalists and public figures.

Since Barkat began this campaign, several coalition ministers and Knesset members have stopped appearing on Channel 12, and reports indicate a decline in the channel’s ratings. The current campaign invites the public to apply for legal aid through the fund’s dedicated website, aiming to deter Channel 12 from further attacks on the right-wing camp.

In addition to the fund, Barkat filed a personal defamation lawsuit against Channel 12 for 12 million shekels related to a critical report about him. He is also leading a joint defamation suit with the Knesset Speaker and seven other ministers against the channel, following false reports alleging government ministers deliberately avoided attending a military officer’s funeral to damage their public image.