Guy Peleg and Keshet 12 back in court: defamation lawsuit for 1,000,000 shekels

Brothers Eli and Yossi Musli filed a defamation lawsuit last July for one million shekels in the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court against the news company, Keshet Broadcasting, and journalists Guy Peleg, Yossi Mizrahi, and Yair Sharki.

The lawsuit follows two reports concerning their family aired on Channel 12: in the program "Ulpan Shishi," Guy Peleg reported that Eli Musli was arrested in Romania on suspicion of terrorism. In a separate report, Yossi Mizrahi claimed that a sports figure was mediating between the Musli and Jarushi families, involving a 10-million-shekel compensation payment by the Musli family. This report was later referenced in Yair Sharki's program as well.

The Musli family categorically denies these allegations, stating the information is entirely false—no arrest occurred in Romania, and no mediation or financial settlement took place, according to a report in Kikar HaShabbat. The plaintiffs claim the reports severely damaged their reputation and business dealings, noting that the editorial staff failed to contact them for a response prior to the broadcast.

In addition to financial damages, the plaintiffs are demanding that the court order the removal of the reports, the publication of an apology, and an official clarification regarding the false arrest claim.

According to the statement of claim, a preliminary request to Channel 12 officials to verify the facts and issue a correction was met without a substantive response. No official response has been issued by Channel 12, Keshet, or the journalists, and the claims have not yet been adjudicated in court.

Notably, Guy Peleg has recently been involved in several legal disputes. The most significant of these was a lawsuit filed by Knesset member Simcha Rothman, which was ultimately decided in favor of the news editorial team, resulting in a compensation award of approximately one million shekels.