Israeli Court Rules Netanyahu’s Son Must Pay Damages for Slander

An Israeli court has ruled that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s son must pay a woman more than $34,000 in damages after he slandered her reputation for having an affair with his father’s political opponent.

An Israeli court has ruled that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s son must pay a woman more than $34,000 in damages after he slandered her reputation for having an affair with his father’s political opponent.

The court ruled that “Netanyahu’s eldest son, Yair, will pay Dana Cassidy over $34,000 in damages and $6,000 in legal fees.”

Cassidy sued him for libel in 2020 after he hinted on social media that she was romantically involved with Benny Gantz, who at the time was in competition with his father for the prime ministership.

According to the court decision, “during the elections, Yair Netanyahu published a number of unsubstantiated statements alluding to Gantz’s extramarital affairs.”

Judge Ronen Peleg said: “Insinuations that a young activist had an intimate relationship with the head of the party, who is a married man several decades older than her, can offend her and make her the object of hatred, contempt or ridicule.”

The court also stated that “Yair originally posted on Platform X a post that included a screenshot of Cassidy’s account on communication sites and wrote: Does anyone know who this is?.. He then reposted the article with a picture of Cassidy and Gantz hugging at a political event. Gantz’s Blue and White centrist party.

Cassidy told local media that she was “subjected to a spate of online harassment” after these posts.

Source: AB