Netanyahu Warns Haaretz With 2.5 Million Shekel Defamation Lawsuit Over Report
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a warning letter ahead of a 2.5 million shekel defamation lawsuit against Haaretz and journalists over a false report regarding pre-October 7 warnings.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a formal letter of warning before filing a defamation lawsuit exceeding 2.5 million shekels against the Haaretz newspaper and journalists Shlomi Eldar, Ruti Yuval, and Uri Misgav.
The letter follows an article published yesterday as the front-page headline of the newspaper and on the Haaretz website, claiming that Netanyahu received a warning regarding Yahya Sinwar's intentions about a week and a half before the October 7 attack, but failed to transmit the information to the heads of the defense establishment.
The publication alleged, among other things, that Netanyahu held a 45-minute conversation with the President of the UAE, during which he was warned of a major maneuver planned by Hamas. In the warning letter, the Prime Minister rejects the claims, defining them as "complete fabrication, baseless fiction, and malicious misrepresentation."
Represented by his attorney Uriel Nizri, Netanyahu argues that he never received such a call or warning—neither from the President of the UAE nor from Egypt. The letter claims that the publication was intended to harm the Prime Minister and improperly influence the election results.
Netanyahu demands that the newspaper remove the article from all digital platforms, the website, and the social media accounts of the newspaper and journalists. In addition, Haaretz is required to publish a prominent apology and denial on the front page and in the main headline on the website, in a wording to be pre-approved by his attorneys.
Alongside these demands, the Prime Minister is demanding a payment of one million shekels for an out-of-court settlement. The newspaper and journalists have been given 72 hours to fully comply with the demands.
The letter clarified that if the demands are not met within the set timeframe, a civil lawsuit will be filed for an amount not less than 2.5 million shekels, in addition to court costs and attorney fees. It was also noted that no further warning letter will be sent before legal proceedings are initiated.
