Wednesday, July 29, 2026, 11:22 The Bat Yam Small Claims Court awarded a shepherd from Gush Etzion NIS 5,000 in compensation for defamation after a false accusation that he had poisoned Arab wells. Left-wing activist Boaz Drori shared a video on X (formerly Twitter) of Shlomo Baruch Yered, a minor from Givat Ma’ale Tidhar in Gush Etzion, leaning over a well to rescue a young goat that had fallen into the water. The video documented a genuine rescue, yet Drori attached a false and inflammatory caption: “Jewish settlers are polluting Palestinian wells in the occupied West Bank. The organized wave of attacks that broke out last night in the territories is starring this morning at the top of the news broadcasts in Europe.”
Shlomo Baruch Yered rescuing one of his young goats
The ruling, handed down recently, clears the minor of a serious false accusation and sends a clear message against baseless defamation. Drori shared the video in October 2025. Honenu filed a lawsuit against him on behalf of the minor and his parents. The court’s findings show that the text attached to the video distorted reality and turned a simple animal rescue into a false portrayal of intentional pollution.
During the trial, Drori attempted to disavow responsibility. In his defense, he claimed he had shared the post only to spark public discourse about Israel’s image abroad and that he did not know the minor’s name or identity. He further argued that when the goat fell into the well the water was polluted, so the result described in the text was “true.” The judge rejected these claims entirely, clarifying that there is a vast difference between accidental contamination that occurs while rescuing an animal and the false accusation in the caption, which attributed intentional pollution to the minor as part of an “organized wave of attacks.” It was proven that readers took the text literally and posted harsh comments about the minor and the act, including epithets such as “Jewish Hamas.”
The court ruled that Drori is not entitled to the defense of “truth in publication,” because the primary offensive message in the text was untrue. The claim of good faith was also rejected. Regarding the addition of the false text, the judge emphasized: “The fact that the defendant did not know the plaintiff’s name does not change the fact that he knew of the existence of the person filmed in the video and linked him to the serious act described in the text… The defendant was obligated to take into account the possibility that the person appearing in the video would be identified by his family members and friends.”
Tom Nisani, an intern at Honenu who assisted the family in filing the lawsuit, stated: “Whoever does not learn the easy way not to slander and spread defamation and libel against the heroic shepherds of Judea and Samaria will learn it the hard way. They will learn, and will also pay.”