Title: Former Chairman of Export Institute Ordered to Pay Damages in Defamation Lawsuit
The Magistrate’s Court in Ramla has ruled that former chairman of the Export Institute, David Artzi, must pay damages in the amount of over half a million NIS in a defamation lawsuit filed against him by David Shimron, a relative of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The lawsuit was filed after Artzi claimed to have seen a contract signed by Shimron and Netanyahu’s wife, Sarah, which allegedly testified to the existence of a “secret agreement” between them.
Artzi alleged that this secret agreement meant he was required to participate in every decision made by the Netanyahus, and that the agreement had been signed by David Shimron.
As a result of the lawsuit, the state will also be paid NIS 50,000 due to the process bringing Netanyahu himself to testify and “wasting time and public resources”.
Artzi’s lawyer, Liad Wertzheiser, has expressed plans to appeal the ruling, stating, “We believe that this is a puzzling verdict (to say the least) and legally wrong. We will appeal.”
This ruling marks a significant development in the ongoing legal battles surrounding the Netanyahus, and has brought attention to the inner workings of the Israeli political elite.