31 August 2023; MEMO: A court in Israel ordered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s son Yair yesterday to pay 130,000 shekels (around $34,000) in compensation for “slander and defamation” in a case lodged against him by Blue and White party activist Dana Kashdi. The order was made by the Magistrates’ Court in Kfar Saba.
Yair Netanyahu had hinted in two posts on social media that there were intimate and inappropriate relations between Kashdi and Benny Gantz, the leader of the Blue and White party and the National Unity alliance. The court’s judgement was that these tweets could subject Kashdi to contempt or ridicule.
Netanyahu’s son is regarded as a controversial figure in Israel, as he often uses social media against his father’s political opponents. He told the court in April that he knew that the main objective of the lawsuit was for Benny Gantz to get revenge.
According to the Jerusalem Post on Wednesday, the plaintiff had requested 500,000 shekels ($131,395) in compensation. The Israeli newspaper added that Netanyahu Jr. published his posts during the campaigning period for the 2020 general election.
Yair Netanyahu did not immediately comment on the court’s decision. It is not clear if he intends to lodge an appeal.
