Gi Plag and News 12 Face New One‑Million Shekel Defamation Suit

Brothers Ali and Yossi Musli have filed a NIS 1 million defamation lawsuit in Jerusalem’s magistrate court against Israel’s News 12 channel, its parent company Channel 12, and three journalists – presenter Gi Plag, reporter Yossi Mizrahi and host Yair Sharki. The claim centers on two News 12 reports: one in which Gi Plag alleged that Ali Musli was arrested in Romania on terrorism suspicions, and another by Mizrahi that a sports figure mediated a settlement between the Musli and Jerushi families involving a NIS 10 million payout. The Musli brothers assert both reports were fabricated, harmed their reputation and business, and seek damages, removal of the broadcasts, a public apology and a formal clarification that no arrest occurred.

The lawsuit follows a recent court decision that dismissed a similar NIS 1.1 million defamation claim brought by HAK chair Shmacha Rotman against the same defendants. After that ruling, Gi Plag broke his silence on social media, sharply criticizing Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit and the judiciary’s leadership for what he described as “soft‑handed” handling of the case, and accusing them of failing to defend journalists against what he called a “poison machine.”