The Herzliya Magistrate's Court denied an appeal from Yair Netanyahu, son of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to dismiss outright a defamation lawsuit filed against him by 74 Wexner Foundation graduates in September, including several professors and former officials, due to a long campaign of offensive tweets posted by Netanyahu on Twitter.
Judge Gilad Hess ordered Yair Netanyahu to file a statement of defense, saying that the allegations will be examined in court. According to the lawsuit, the plaintiffs are, or were, senior public servants who studied at Harvard University with the help of a scholarship from the foundation.
According to the plaintiffs, Netanyahu published "non-coincidental publications intended to advance his interests, and to establish in the public consciousness the graduates of the foundation as 'cult members,' as evil people who are unfit for public service and as people who are plotting to bring about a government coup."