Yair Netanyahu Threatens Defamation Lawsuit Over Draft Dodger Label
Yair Netanyahu has threatened to file a defamation lawsuit against Yashar! party campaign manager Ronen Manelis after the party officially labeled the prime minister's son a draft dodger and exile amidst escalating public tensions.
A public dispute erupted between Yair Netanyahu, the son of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the political apparatus of the Yashar! party, following severe mutual accusations on social media. Yair Netanyahu threatened to file a defamation lawsuit against the party's campaign manager and confidant of Gadi Eisenkot, retired Brigadier General Ronen Manelis, after the party officially labeled him a "draft dodger and exile."
The exchange of words began when Yair Netanyahu attacked Yashar! party chairman and Member of Parliament Gadi Eisenkot on social media. Referring to the former IDF Chief of Staff, Netanyahu wrote that he is a "golem, a puppet on a string of the strongest and darkest forces in the country and the world," adding that Israel might not survive his leadership and that adversaries in the region are rejoicing.
In response, the Yashar! party issued an official statement harshly targeting the prime minister's son, who currently resides in Miami. The party remarked that the Likud's new messaging playbook has not yet reached Miami, exposing what they described as the emptiness of Likud's unity slogans while the premier's son hurls insults.
Prompted by the use of the term "draft dodger," Yair Netanyahu directed his response personally at Manelis. Taking to social media, Netanyahu wrote: "Hey Ronen Manelis, you surely know that a draft dodger has a very clear legal definition as someone who received a draft notice and failed to report, so I would gladly appreciate an address where I can send a defamation lawsuit against you." Netanyahu, who served in the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, argues the label constitutes actionable libel.
Ronen Manelis, who previously served as Eisenkot's bureau chief, assistant to the Chief of Staff, and subsequently as IDF Spokesperson, has increasingly become a vocal critic of government policy. With Manelis stepping into the role of chief strategist for Yashar!, which has maintained a sharp critical line against Likud, tensions have escalated directly into legal threats.
