National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir filed a lawsuit against several media outlets and journalists, claiming that they published defamatory statements about him and his opinion regarding the hostages.
The lawsuit was filed against the journalists Ronen Tzur, Dani Koshmaro, Haim Etgar, Haim Rubinstein, and the outlets Keshet, Channel 12 News, and Reshet.
Ben-Gvir claims that a video of him was taken out of context to make it seem as though he does not want the return of the hostages, according to the lawsuit.
Ben-Gvir is now seeking compensation of 1 million shekels (approximately $300,000), for the videos to be removed from social media, and a public apology for everyone involved in what he calls a “false blood libel.”
The situation began with Ronen Tzur, who had previously served as head of the Hostages Families Headquarters, posting a video on his X/Twitter account showing Ben-Gvir answering a question by saying: “God forbid, absolutely not.”
Ronen said, alongside the video, that the question was centered around the topic of the return of the hostages. "The shocking and incredible slip of the tongue of the person whose hands are stained with the blood of hostages and the hands of his supporters,” he wrote.
According to Ben Gvir, the video was presented in a manipulative manner and edited to create the false impression that it was about the hostages. The lawsuit noted that the question asked if the minister actually dealt with Jewish-American protesters outside the conference in the United States, and not with the hostages.
Why is Ben-Gvir suing Israeli outlets and journalists
The lawsuit further states that Channel 12’s “Friday Studio” program aired the video under the same context, with presenter Danny Kushmaro claiming that for some ministers, “the return of the hostages is not the most important thing right now." Haim Etgar also commented on the same broadcast, calling the words "the strange slip of the tongue."
In the case of Channel 13, Haim Rubinstein said to viewers during his Friday program: "This sums up the disdain for the hostages and this government that forgot that under its watch they were abducted."
"The matters are especially serious given that this is a false blood libel against a public figure, a party leader, a member of the Cabinet, and a Minister of the Israeli government, who, in times of war relies on public trust when making life-and-death decisions in the management of the 'Iron Swords' war," Ben-Gvir's lawsuit states.
The minister demands that the defendants, including the journalists and channels that published the statements, remove the content, issue a public apology, and delete the material from the news archives. Additionally, he is seeking compensation for legal fees and expenses.