Olmert asks court to order psychiatric evaluations for Netanyahu, wife and son

Former prime minister Ehud Olmert files a request with the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court asking for opposition chief Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara and eldest son Yair to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

The request is part of a defamation lawsuit the Netanyahus filed against Olmert for calling them “mentally ill” in interviews. Their suit seeks NIS 837,000 (some $257,000) in damages for Olmert’s “obsessive efforts to harm their good name in public, out of jealousy and deep frustration.”

Olmert’s request also seeks access to “any relevant documents” about their mental health. Olmert’s lawyer Amir Titonovich tells the Haaretz newspaper that his legal team believes that the Netanyahu family has records showing that they are not mentally sound.

The request is thought unlikely to get the court’s approval.