The Tel Aviv District Court acquitted journalist Eli Tzipori of a NIS 3 million defamation suit filed by Channel 12 over his repeated use of the label "Al Jazeera 12" to describe the broadcaster. The case follows a prior settlement in which Tzipori committed to cease using the phrase.
The Tel Aviv District Court has acquitted journalist Eli Tzipori in a NIS 3 million defamation suit brought by Channel 12 (Newspaper 12 Co.) over his repeated use of the nickname "Al Jazeera 12" to refer to the Israeli broadcaster.
As The Zioneer previously reported (June 8, 15:14 Jerusalem), Tzipori had already committed in a court-approved settlement to cease using the phrase and clarified he does not believe Channel 12 is actually Al Jazeera or linked to it. The new ruling, which found Tzipori not liable, appears to relate to the same dispute. The court's reasoning has not yet been fully published; details of the acquittal remain pending.
The case underscored tensions between traditional media brands and public critics in Israel's polarized media landscape. Tzipori, a right-wing commentator, had likened Channel 12 to the Qatari news network Al Jazeera, which is widely viewed in Israel as hostile.
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