A contentious bill toughing Israel’s libel passed its first hurdle in the Knesset yesterday night (Monday), passing first reading despite vocal resistance from both opposition and coalition members.

The bill represents an amendment to Israel’s existing libel law, which would make it possible to sue a newspaper for libel, not only for commensurate compensation for any tangible damage caused by the publication, but for an additional sum of NIS 300,000 − without having to prove damages.  The amendment will hamper freedom of expression and the independent press.  The bill was passed by a vote of 42 to 31, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak supporting the amendment.

MK Khenin:  “An extreme, wild and murderous sanction for publications” (Photo: Al Ittihad)

MK Dov Khenin (Hadash) blasted the proposed amendment.  “In especially barbaric justice systems, the punishment for libel is cutting out the offender’s tongue,” he said. “This is exactly what this law suggests we do. We have here a proposal for an extreme, wild, murderous sanction for the publication (of a statement) that did no harm”. “I feel like even Saudi Arabia doesn’t have such a law,” he added.

Another initiator of the bill, MK Yariv Levin (Likud), said he agrees to make amendments “to the law by which it would only apply to media outlets with wide circulation, and not to individual bloggers and Facebook users”.