Netanyahu awarded damages in libel suit

A judge awarded damages to the newly designated prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, and members of his family in a libel suit they brought against another former prime minister, Ehud Olmert, who had described them as being “mentally ill.” The ruling Monday brought an end to a lurid courtroom drama during which Olmert brought witnesses to testify about disturbing goings-on in the Netanyahu household, including accusations of afflictions such as eating disorders, obsessivecompulsive behavior, narcissism and paranoia.

But, according to the judge, Amit Yariv, despite all the hours of testimony, Olmert failed to establish or produce any professional medical diagnosis to back up his assertions and had gone beyond the bounds of expressing an opinion in good faith that would be protected by the principles of free speech. The judge ruled that Olmert had defamed Netanyahu; Netanyahu's wife, Sara; and their eldest son, Yair, in a television interview that Olmert gave around the time of a bitter and inconclusive election in the spring of 2021. The Netanyahus had demanded about $250,000 in damages but were awarded $18,000.