Court Orders Barak Seri to Pay Gideon Sa'ar for False London Trip Claims

The Jerusalem Magistrate's Court ruled in favor of Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar in a defamation lawsuit against media personality Barak Seri. The court found Seri's claims that Sa'ar traveled to London with his family at public expense to be false and ordered Seri to pay 18,000 shekels in damages. Sa'ar's lawyer, Ben Karpel, emphasized that Seri was given the opportunity to present evidence but failed to prove the allegations, underscoring the court's message that unfounded stories cannot be published as facts.

Despite the ruling against him, Seri framed the outcome as a partial victory, highlighting that Sa'ar initially sought 75,000 shekels in compensation but was awarded only 18,000 shekels, described by the judge as a low amount. Seri also noted that Sa'ar was not granted legal costs and that a related lawsuit by Sa'ar's wife, Geula Even-Sa'ar, was dismissed. Seri stated he pursued the case on principle and expressed willingness to pay the damages to continue exposing public officials' misconduct.

The dispute began after Seri tweeted that Sa'ar's London trip with his wife and children was a private vacation funded by the state, a claim Sa'ar contested as baseless. The court's decision confirms the trip was not at public expense, reinforcing legal standards against spreading false information about public figures.