Israeli Court Orders Left-Wing Activist to Compensate Shepherd for Defamation on Social Media

The Small Claims Court in Bat Yam ruled that left-wing activist Boaz Drori must pay 5,000 shekels to teenage shepherd Shlomo Baruch Yared from Gush Etzion for defamation. Drori had posted a video on the social media platform X in October 2025, showing Yared rescuing a kid goat from a water well. However, Drori’s post falsely accused Yared and other Jewish settlers of deliberately poisoning Palestinian water wells in the West Bank and linked the incident to an "organized wave of attacks." The court found that the video actually documented an accidental contamination during the animal rescue, not intentional poisoning. The judge rejected Drori’s defense that he shared the post to spark public debate about Israel’s image and that he did not know Yared’s identity. The court emphasized the significant difference between accidental pollution and the false claim of deliberate poisoning, ruling that Drori’s statements constituted libel. The court also dismissed Drori’s claims of truth and good faith. It noted that even though Drori did not know Yared’s name, he was aware the video showed a specific individual who could be recognized by family and acquaintances. Tohar Nisani, a legal expert from the organization Honenu that assisted the family, stated that those who defame shepherds from Judea and Samaria will face consequences and be required to pay damages.