Ronen Bar Intends to File a Defamation Lawsuit Against Benjamin Netanyahu

The Reason for the Dispute

Netanyahu accused Bar of receiving information about signs of the planned attack but failing to warn the prime minister. Bar rejected the accusations, claimed that a smear campaign was being waged against him, and demanded the disclosure of all documents concerning the information conveyed to the prime minister before October 7. According to an expert interviewed by the media, there may be grounds for a lawsuit if the claim that information was concealed was published and is untrue, although the meaning of the wording may be interpreted in different ways.

Can Netanyahu Rely on Immunity?

Under the Immunity of Knesset Members, Their Rights and Duties Law, actions and statements made in the course of fulfilling an official role or for the purpose of fulfilling it are protected by substantive immunity. Such immunity cannot be lifted. However, Bar may try to prove that the statements in dispute were part of a political or personal campaign and fell entirely outside the scope of Netanyahu's role—this is the “departure from the scope of the role” doctrine.

Defenses, Documents, and Public Access to the Proceedings

Even if grounds for a lawsuit exist, the law grants publishers defenses, including good faith. As a rule, defamation proceedings are conducted publicly, but the court may close the hearings when the grounds prescribed by law are met, particularly if an expert opinion on security matters has been submitted. The very act of petitioning the court may lead to a formal hearing on immunity and the disclosure of the requested documents, but the source does not report that the lawsuit has already been filed.

Potential Compensation and a Historical Example

For a claim seeking compensation without proof of damage, the ceiling stated in the article is 170,000 shekels. If damage is proven, there is no fixed ceiling. A recent historical example cited is the one-million-shekel lawsuit filed by former Military Intelligence Directorate chief Eli Zeira against former Mossad chief Zvi Zamir: the dispute was referred to arbitration before former Supreme Court President Theodor Or, and the lawsuit was dismissed in 2007.

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