"False Tales": The Sum Sarah Netanyahu Will Pay Yair Golan
The District Court rejected Sarah Netanyahu's request to dismiss the defamation lawsuit filed against her by Democrats chairman Yair Golan, ruling that her claims are baseless. The judge ordered Netanyahu to pay 2,000 shekels in legal costs. Golan responded: "Further proof that truth will defeat falsehood."
The District Court rejected the request by Sarah Netanyahu, the prime minister's wife, to dismiss outright the defamation lawsuit filed against her by Democrats chairman, Maj. Gen. (res.) Yair Golan. The judge ruled that Netanyahu's claims in the request were completely baseless, and ordered her to pay 2,000 shekels in legal costs. The lawsuit, for 2.55 million shekels, was filed through attorneys Giora Erdinast, Almog Gil-Or and Yarden Shochat of the EBN firm. It was filed after Netanyahu refused to apologize or retract her remarks in an interview with Channel 14, in which she hinted that Golan had prior knowledge of the October 7 massacre. In the dismissal request, Netanyahu claimed she had merely given a "traditional interview," and that responsibility for publication lay with third parties and media bodies. The judge rejected this attempt and ruled that Netanyahu was interviewed with full knowledge and consent that the remarks would be broadcast. According to her, "there is no justification for an artificial separation" between publication by the interviewee and publication by the broadcasting body. Golan responded: "Once again it has been proven that the poison machine spares no means... Today's ruling is further proof that truth will defeat falsehood."