Yair Netanyahu appeals after losing libel lawsuit to former MK Stav Shaffir
Lawyer for prime minister’s son says court erred in characterizing him as a ‘racist’ and ‘harasser’
Yair Netanyahu, the son of the prime minister, on Wednesday appealed a court ruling that he must pay damages to former Labor MK Stav Shaffir after losing a libel suit over a series of offensive tweets.
Netanyahu’s lawyer, Ariel Khur Nizri, wrote in the appeal, “The court made a mistake in deciding that Yair must compensate Shapir.”
Nizri argued that the court had overreached in its characterization of Yair Netanyahu’s statements as racist and harassment, and erred in shooting down Netanyahu’s countersuit in which he accused her of libelous statements, including assertions that he lived off public funds intended for the prime minister.
“Regarding the court’s determination of ‘racism,’ there is a difference between racist statements and problematic statements,” Nizri said in the appeal, according to the Ynet news site. “Therefore, there is no determining that a person is essentially racist.”
“The court also erred in its determination that Yair is a ‘harasser,’ when a harassment order was against him for a specific issue,” the appeal said. “It can be said that he harassed on a specific issue but of course the court cannot determine that he is a ‘harasser’ in his character.”
Shaffir and Yair Netanyahu had argued about her claim he lives off public funds as the prime minister’s son during the exchange that landed them in court. The appeal said Shaffir’s comments that Yair Netanyahu lived off his father’s money were incorrect.
Shaffir’s lawyers, Ohad Rozen and Natan Schwartzman, said their office had not yet received the appeal.
“The fact that it found its way to the press before it was sent to the opposing side indicates the degree of seriousness,” they said.
A Tel Aviv court ruled in March that Yair Netanyahu must pay Shaffir NIS 70,000 for the defamatory comments, court costs and other legal fees.
Shaffir had sued Netanyahu over posts he wrote about her on Twitter, and Netanyahu lodged a retaliatory lawsuit over Shaffir’s own social media posts, which the court threw out.
The lawsuits stemmed from an exchange between the two in April 2020, while the country was under a strict COVID lockdown over Passover. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a photo of his family celebrating together, including his youngest son, Avner Netanyahu, who was not living with him, drawing criticism that they violated the quarantine laws at the time.
Shaffir tweeted that she was disappointed in the prime minister’s behavior.
In response, Yair Netanyahu slammed the former lawmaker, referencing her Knesset run alongside former prime minister Ehud Barak in the Democratic Union party. Barak was infamously photographed visiting disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein’s New York home, but has denied any misdeeds.
“Are you sure you want to speak about morality in light of the failed project you tried to set up with a pedophile enthusiast and frequent visitor to Epstein’s pedophile island?” Yair Netanyahu tweeted at Shaffir. “You’re ugly inside and out. Find yourself a permanent Arab husband who won’t throw you out, go to some village, become a Muslim and leave us in peace.”
Responding, Shaffir wrote that she had missed spending time with her family over the holiday. “Now, as I read what the prime minister’s son wrote, educated in his [father’s] ways and living off his money, I miss them even more,” she wrote. “You’re a liar, a harasser, and an evil and racist person. The child’s mouth is the father’s legacy.”
“Communist, idiot, pedophile enthusiast, save the derogatory names you called me for Epstein, Barak and your other friends. I don’t take a shekel from the state,” Netanyahu shot back. “You, on the other hand, owe the taxpayer NIS 8 million.”
The prime minister’s son was likely referencing the NIS 8 million that Shaffir and Barak borrowed from the Knesset for their joint electoral run in 2019, which they didn’t pay back after the Knesset disbanded for an immediate subsequent election.
Netanyahu is known for his far-right views and combative social media presence, which has landed him in court on a number of occasions. He rose in public prominence amid widespread reports that he was influencing his father’s policies, particularly over the contentious judicial overhaul plan.
Prime Minister Netanyahu and his wife Sara in April reportedly demanded Yair stop posting on social media and not speak directly with lawmakers or ministers amid accusations he was inflaming tensions in Israel and exacerbating a diplomatic rift with the United States.
Yair Netanyahu had normally tweeted dozens of times a day, but has been almost entirely absent from social media in recent months.
