Jerusalem Court Rejects Defamation Suit Against Journalist Guy Peleg and Channel 12 News

The Jerusalem Magistrate's Court, presided by Vice President Judge Oren Silverman, dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by Knesset member Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionism), chairman of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, against journalist Guy Peleg, Channel 12 News, Keshet Broadcasting, Avi Weiss, and four social media activists. Rothman sought damages totaling 1,091,300 shekels following a November 2023 Channel 12 report. The report cited Rothman as saying during a closed meeting with Shin Bet and Justice Ministry representatives that the blood of Hallel and Yigal Yaniv, murdered in Hawara, was "redder" than that of victims killed on October 7.

Rothman denied making the statement, calling it a "false and inciting blood libel," and pledged to donate any awarded damages to Gaza border communities' rehabilitation. However, the court ruled that the defendants proved the truth defense, relying heavily on testimonies from three Justice Ministry lawyers who attended the meeting. They consistently confirmed Rothman made the remarks, albeit not verbatim, but in the heat of the moment. Attempts by Rothman to introduce contradictory testimony from the legal advisor to the Constitution Committee, Attorney Gur Bley, were deemed unreliable due to lack of direct memory and reliance on a retrospective recorded conversation.

Judge Silverman criticized Rothman's conduct, noting his refusal to provide a substantive response before publication and his failure to disclose evidence early in the proceedings. Regarding the four social media defendants who shared or commented on the report, the court found some posts were legitimate opinions or protected by good faith reliance on a reputable media outlet. Despite fully dismissing the lawsuit, the judge unusually decided not to order Rothman to pay legal costs, citing the contentious and irregular procedural behavior by all parties during the trial. All parties retain the right to appeal as per law.