PM vs PM: Netanyahu wins lawsuit against Ehud Olmert
The incoming prime minister sued former prime minister Ehud Olmert for defamation after he called the Netanyahu family 'mentally ill'.
A Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court has ruled in favour of the Netanyahu family in its lawsuit against former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday, ordering the latter to pay the Netanyahus NIS 97,500 (£23,600).
The Netanyahu family sued Olmert after he refused to apologise for saying “what is irreparable is the mental illness of the prime minister, his wife and his son,” in an interview with Democrat TV in 2021.
The family was initially seeking NIS 837,000 (£202.000).
“It is impossible to ignore the fact that in Israel in 2022, referring to a person as ‘mentally ill’ is likely to demean a person in the eyes of the people or make him an object of hatred, contempt or ridicule,” Judge Amit Yariv said.
Olmert has been vocal in his criticism against Netanyahu after he was indicted on breach of trust, bribery and fraud in three different cases, calling him a “criminal, a scoundrel, a thief.”
Netanyahu and Olmert were political rivals in Likud throughout their career, but Olmert ended up following Ariel Sharon to his new party “Kadima.”
Olmert was propelled into the prime minister’s office after Sharon suffered a severe stroke in 2006 that that sent him in a coma. Olmert won the elections the same year, but ended up resigning in 2008 when he was facing an indictment.
He ended up serving as prime minister until Netanyahu was elected prime minister in the following election in 2009. Olmert was sentenced to 16 months in prison in 2014 after being convicted of corruption offences.
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