Munmun Kaur
Published On: January 11, 2022 at 12:35 IST
Legal battle between two former Israeli Prime Ministers began on January 10 as Benjamin Netanyahu‘s defamation suit against Ehud Olmert got under way.
Mr. Netanyahu, his wife and son reached the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s court on the opening of their case against Ehud Olmert who is also Netanyahu’s predecessor.
The whole matter started when Netanyahu threatened to sue Olmert for his snide remarks made last year during the aftermath of the 2021 Israeli Parliamentary elections. Then, Netanyahu had refused to step down while being on trial for fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes.
Olmert, in an interview with an Israel news site, in April last year had remarked, “What is irreparable is the mental illness of the Prime Minister, his wife and his son”.
As per Hebrew press report, Netanyahu has claimed damages of $2,70,000 from Olmert in his defamation suit. He has further accused Olmert of compulsively trying to harm him, his family and their good name.
Israeli media has time and again reported of Sara Netanyahu’s alleged violent outbursts of rage. She has been sued multiple times and even convicted of harassment by her former employees. Netanyahu’s son Yair has also been in talks for his harsh campaigns against political opponents.
Olmert, who was Netanyahu’s predecessor as Prime Minister of Israel, had resigned from his position in 2008 before he was formally indicted on corruption charges. He was also convicted of fraud in 2014 and served most of a 27-month prison sentence.
As per the reports, neither of the two spoke at the Court.