Website Under Investigation in Israel For Featuring Soldier As Alleged Killer
jonathanturley
>Israel has a case that would make for an interesting false light and defamation claim in the United States. Indymedia Israel, a news site popular with civil libertarians, ran a picture of a soldier with the caption “murderer” and said that he was responsible for the death of Bassem Abu Rahma, who was hit in the chest with a tear gas grenade in Bilin near the West Bank. The government says that the soldier was not involved in the incident.
The site posted pictures from Bilin, including one with the caption of “murderer from Bilin” with the added note: “This soldier in this picture murdered Bassem Abu Rahma… do you know his name?”
Prosecutors are now investigating the site to determine if it violated the soldier’s privacy.
Various sites in the United States have faced lawsuits based on misrepresentations or defamation.
