Journalist and documentary filmmaker Shlomi Eldar has filed a NIS 160,000 defamation lawsuit against Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Shikli in the Herzliya Magistrate’s Court.
According to the suit, Shikli wrote on X that Eldar is “a close associate of Haniyeh,” suggesting a personal relationship with the late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Eldar claims the post was meant to damage his professional credibility and his journalistic work.
Shikli’s post followed an investigation by Eldar and journalist Ruth Yuval into warnings that were reportedly passed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before the October 7 massacre.
Eldar argues that Shikli twisted things he had said in the past about gaining access to Haniyeh as a journalist. According to the suit, the minister presented the physical proximity needed for filming and interviews as if it were a personal relationship or friendship. Eldar, a veteran Palestinian affairs reporter, interviewed Haniyeh in 2006, shortly after Hamas won the Palestinian legislative elections.
The lawsuit also argues that Shikli is not protected by parliamentary immunity for the post, and says he ignored a warning letter demanding that he remove the statements and publish an apology.
Shikli has not yet filed a statement of defense.
