Senior Maariv reporter Ben Caspit was ordered by the Petah Tikva Magistrate’s Court to pay NIS 25,000 shekels in damages to right-wing activist Elisha Yered for writing libelous statements about him on social media.

The statements were published in 2022, after Otzma Yehudit MK Limor Son Har-Melech appointed Yered as her spokesperson. Caspit publicly claimed that Yered has been held in administrative detention by the Shin Bet and was unfit to serve in a public position.

Yered then filed a defamation lawsuit against Caspit through Attorney Menashe Yado of the Honenu legal aid organization.

In response to the verdict, Yered stated, “The days when leftists could conduct wild smear campaigns against the settlements are over. Whoever defames will pay. Ben Caspit tried to cast mud and lies to harm the hilltop youth, but now, thanks to him, another hill can be built in Yehudah and Shomron. I invite all the leftists who want to contribute and help settle the land to follow Caspit’s path and see what the price is for running a hostile and false campaign against the settlers of the land.”

Attorney Menashe Yado stated, “The court rejected Caspit’s claim of ‘I spoke the truth’ because he did not tell the truth and also rejected his claim of good faith because he did not correct the publications even though it became clear that they were incorrect. The practical meaning of the court’s rulings is that for Ben Caspit, defamation was more important than the truth, and that’s why he will pay.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)