A court ordered former IDF Southern Command chief Dan Harel to pay MK Zvi Sukkot (Religious Zionism) 35,000 NIS for falsely claiming in a television interview that a battalion and a half had been diverted to guard Sukkot's sukkah in Huwara on the eve of the October 7 massacre. Judge Mizrahi dismissed Harel's counterclaim and sharply criticized his statements.
A Tel Aviv magistrate's court ordered former IDF Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. (res.) Dan Harel to pay MK Zvi Sukkot (Religious Zionism) 35,000 NIS in damages for libel, after Harel stated in a television interview on the program 'Meet the Press' that a battalion and a half had been diverted to guard Sukkot's sukkah in Huwara on the eve of the October 7 massacre. The court found this claim to be false. Judge Mizrahi dismissed a counterclaim Harel filed against Sukkot and Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, and issued sharp criticism of Harel's statements in the ruling.
This case addresses a recurring controversy in Israeli public discourse over whether the IDF deployed forces to protect senior officials rather than to respond to the October 7 attack. The court's decision — delivered on Monday, June 29 — represents a legal vindication for Sukkot, who argued the accusation was a politically motivated fabrication.
Harel served as OC Southern Command from 2005 to 2009 and later commanded the IDF's ground forces. Sukkot is a prominent right-wing MK representing settlers in Judea and Samaria. The ruling comes amid broader public and political debates about military resource allocation on October 7, in which several claims have been litigated or investigated.
2 developments
- StrongIsraeli court rules for former IDF general in libel case, awards NIS 160,000
- DevelopingMK Jebareen accuses MK Sukkot of inciting against Umm al-Fahm ahead of planned visit
- DevelopingMK Succot: UNIFIL in southern Lebanon collects IDF positions for Hezbollah
- DevelopingMK Ben Ari calls MK Delal "rag" and refuses to apologize
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