Channel 12 news is threatening to sue MK Yair Golan (Meretz) for a tweet accusing a journalist at the station of being part of a “criminal enterprise,” together with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his backers.
Golan tweeted earlier in the day in reaction to a report from Amit Segal in which Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit was heard on a recording complaining about the state prosecutor. Allies of Netanyahu have pushed the recording as proof that Mandelblit should resign or withdraw the charges. That includes coalition whip Miki Zohar, who threatened to put out more dirt on Mandelblit.
MK Yair Golan of the Democratic Camp party during a tour of the Knesset, September 25, 2019. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
“Now it’s clear how the criminal enterprise operates. Netanyahu gathers the recordings, Amit Segal published them and Miki Zohar threatens. Organized crime.”
In a letter from its lawyer, Channel 12 writes that Golan is “committing the civil infraction of serious libel,” and demands he apologize.
The letter also notes that the channel and Segal are reserving the right to take legal action against him.
As of now, Golan has not apologized and the tweet remains up.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, October 14, 2020
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
