Court ruling10/21/2026

Court Exempts Mayor and Security Director From Personal NIS 415,000 Lawsuit

The Haifa Magistrate's Court granted immunity to Kiryat Motzkin Mayor Tziki Avissar and municipal security director Oshri Attias. The personal lawsuit against them was dismissed, but proceedings concerning the defamation and invasion of privacy claims will continue against the municipality.

Key facts

•Court: Haifa Magistrate's Court
•Judge: Liran Haim
•Amount claimed: NIS 415,000
•Legal costs: NIS 5,000
•Decision published: October 21, 2026
•Case number was not specified in the original source

How the Dispute Arose

Opposition city council member attorney Moshe Peretz sued the municipality, the mayor and the security director for NIS 415,000. The lawsuit stemmed from publications accusing Peretz of damaging the fire suppression system in the municipal building and committing acts of vandalism. He claimed that his identity was disclosed before a proper investigation had been conducted and that, for about four months, he was permitted to be in the building only when accompanied by a supervisor.

The Parties' Positions

Peretz argued that Avissar and Attias exceeded their authority and deliberately attempted to harm him. The defendants maintained that they acted in the course of their duties and in accordance with established procedures. The mayor denied involvement in the investigation of the incident and in the decision to require Peretz to be accompanied, while the security director stated that he conveyed his findings to the municipality's director general at the latter's request.

Why the Officials Were Granted Immunity

Judge Liran Haim ruled that Peretz had not presented evidence of any personal intent by the defendants to harm him or of motives extending beyond their public duties. The court also took into account that the plaintiff himself described his relationship with the mayor as politically proper and did not point to any personal dispute. At this stage, the allegations concerning the provision of information to a journalist were deemed hearsay because the journalist was not called to testify.

What the Court Decided

The court granted the immunity application in full and dismissed the personal lawsuit against Avissar and Attias. Peretz was ordered to pay NIS 5,000 in legal costs. The lawsuit will proceed only against the Kiryat Motzkin Municipality, which must file a statement of defense by November 20; no ruling has yet been issued on the merits of the defamation and invasion of privacy claims.

What this means for you

An official in a local authority may be removed from a personal civil lawsuit if the disputed actions were performed in the course of the official's public duties and the plaintiff did not prove a personal intent to cause harm. However, the immunity of certain public employees does not automatically nullify the claims against the municipality itself and does not indicate that the court has already considered the merits of the defamation or invasion of privacy claims.

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