Court Dismisses Yoav Eliasi’s Libel Suit Against Raviv Drucker and Reshet 13

Herzliya Magistrate’s Court on Monday dismissed a civil defamation lawsuit brought by activist and rapper Yoav Eliasi, known as HaTzel, against journalist Raviv Drucker and broadcaster Reshet 13. Judge David Yitzhak ordered Eliasi to pay NIS 25,000 in legal costs to the defendants. Eliasi had sought NIS 245,000. The suit concerned remarks on Drucker’s Election Zone program on February 22, 2024, following a police certificate of appreciation given to Eliasi. Drucker described Eliasi as an external propaganda arm of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and used the expression “one hand washes the other.” Eliasi argued that the remarks damaged his reputation and portrayed him as receiving positions and status in return for political support. He maintained that he acted from ideological conviction and decided independently what to publish. The defendants relied on truth and protected opinion. The court found that the factual basis for the remarks had been established on the civil balance of probabilities. The evidence included a WhatsApp group involving Ben Gvir, his wife Ayala and political associates. It also included a February 2023 request from Ben Gvir to enlist Eliasi in a campaign, followed about two hours later by a supportive Facebook post from Eliasi. The judge treated the reciprocal-favors expression as an opinion grounded in the demonstrated facts, without requiring proof of a direct exchange involving Eliasi’s emergency-squad position. A separate injurious-falsehood claim failed because the required financial loss was not established. Drucker welcomed the ruling on Monday, saying the defense had substantiated the propaganda-arm characterization and the protection afforded to the opinion.