Yair Netanyahu. Photo: Focus.
The Netanya Magistrates’ Court has issued a ruling against Yair Netanyahu, the son of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has to pay NIS 75,000 to Nir Hefetz, his father’s former press adviser, for violating his privacy. This was reported by Time Ukraine Israel, citing Vesty.
Details of the court case
Hefetz filed the lawsuit, claiming that Netanyahu Jr. illegally disclosed details of the 4000 (Bezek-Walla) investigation on Twitter, including information prohibited for publication. The initial amount of the claim was NIS 500,000. The court concluded that the defendant’s actions endangered a state witness and his family.
Hefetz also filed a similar lawsuit against the then Minister of Justice Amir Ohana, who publicly spoke about the investigation tactics related to women close to the plaintiff. However, this lawsuit was dismissed in June 2021 by the Tel Aviv World Court.
Defence response
Lawyer Uriel Nizri, who represented Yair Netanyahu, insists that the court’s decision is erroneous. According to him, his client acted within the law and used information that had already been made public from the rostrum of the Knesset.
Other court cases
This is not the first lawsuit Yair Netanyahu has lost. In March 2023, he was ordered to pay NIS 40,000 in a defamation lawsuit filed by former MK Stav Shafir. In August 2023, he lost a case against Dani Kashdi and was ordered to pay NIS 130,000 over false allegations about her relationship with politicians.
Earlier, in 2022, Yair Netanyahu lost a lawsuit against the editor of the Walla portal, Avi Alkalai. The court ordered compensation in the amount of NIS 280,000, but Netanyahu demanded that the state pay the amount.
