Court Dismisses "The Shadow's" Defamation Suit Against Journalist Ravev Drucker

A Jerusalem Magistrate's Court has fully dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by Yoav Eliasi, known as "The Shadow," against journalist Ravev Drucker. Eliasi was ordered to pay NIS 25,000 in legal fees and expenses. The lawsuit stemmed from a column and publications by Drucker, who alleged that Eliasi served as an "external propaganda arm" for National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, operating under a "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" mechanism. Drucker claimed Eliasi received an appreciation certificate from the Israel Police, representative officer ranks, a weapon permit, and a significant role as a commander of a civilian alert squad in exchange for serving the minister's agenda.

In his ruling, Judge David Yitzhak accepted Drucker's defense of "truth in publication" under the Defamation Law. The court found that Eliasi had indeed served as a paid consultant for the "Otzma Yehudit" party, assisted in drafting social media posts, and was an active member of the party's spokesperson group, which included Minister Ben-Gvir, his wife Ayla Ben-Gvir, Bentsi Gofstein, and Hananiel Dorfman. The court noted that Eliasi had received messages from the party's spokespersons, which he then used to disseminate political messages directly from the minister.

"All of this establishes, in my opinion, the truth of the claim that the plaintiff served as a kind of external propaganda arm for Minister Ben-Gvir within the framework of his political activity," the judge stated. The court also ruled that the use of the phrase "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" was protected as an expression of opinion. Judge Yitzhak clarified that a reasonable person would understand the phrase in context as a logical conclusion by Drucker, based on the proven factual foundation of Eliasi's informational assistance to the minister and the benefits and status he received from the police and the civilian alert squad system.

Drucker announced the court's decision on social media, stating that the lawsuit was dismissed and Eliasi was ordered to pay NIS 25,000 in expenses. He confirmed that the court found proof that Eliasi was indeed a propaganda arm and that the "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" expression was permissible opinion. Drucker thanked his legal team, lawyers Doron Kol and Yasmin Paperman, for their representation of him and "Reshet."