Israeli Court Orders Former Prime Minister to Pay Netanyahu Damages

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Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert must pay a compensation of 17,000 euros to Benjamin Netanyahu for defamation. A court has announced this in Tel Aviv.

Olmert called Netanyahu and his family incurably “mentally ill” in an interview. Netanyahu then sued Olmert for defamation, seeking approximately $236,000 in damages.

Olmert defended himself by saying he was merely expressing the views of the Israeli people and international leaders. The court rejected Olmert’s argument that it was a free speech issue. He must also pay the court costs.

Israeli media repeatedly reported on Netanyahu’s wife Sara’s violent outbursts of anger. She was even charged and convicted of harassment of several former employees.

Yair, Netanyahu’s eldest son, is known for his abusive campaigns against political opponents on social media. In addition, he is often accused of being extremely rude. Yair himself must pay a journalist compensation of 70,000 euros for defamation following a ruling by the Supreme Court last week.

Both Olmert and Netanyahu have experience with justice. Olmert was jailed in February 2016, even though he did not complete his 19-month prison sentence. And Netanyahu has been involved in a corruption trial since May 2020.