Hostage's mother sues Charedi provocateur

 

Iris Haim

Dov Halbertal

Iris Haim, the mother of the late Yotam Haim, who was mistakenly shot and killed in Shejaiya after escaping Hamas captivity, has filed a lawsuit seeking approximately NIS 170,000 against Haredi provocateur Dov Halbertal over harsh and offensive comments he posted about her on Facebook following reports that she could potentially be included on the Likud’s Knesset slate.

Halbertal called Haim “a seeker of honor and publicity who has only flourished since her son’s death," and claimed that “it can be assumed that she planned her entire path into politics in advance and is trampling on the blood of her son, who bestowed worldwide celebrity status upon her."

He concluded the post with the words: “On her son’s grave, she will write: ‘How good that you were murdered.’ What a kindness Hamas did for her."

In response to the post, Haim chose to respond publicly and rejected his claims.

“No one has approached me - not from the Likud, nor from any other slate or party - and even if I am approached, the answer will be no. The important thing is to write vile and disgusting things about me without even checking," she wrote.

The lawsuit states that Haim, through no choice of her own, has become a figure who seeks to promote unity among the people of Israel. It also emphasizes that the offensive post was published shortly after she received preliminary approval to have a child using Yotam’s sperm.

Her attorneys stress that Halbertal’s remarks were not an inadvertent act committed in a moment of anger, but rather a deliberate effort to hurt her and tarnish her reputation.