The residents of Maaleh Rechavam, a new community established in the Judean desert southeast of Jerusalem, have filed a libel suit against Maariv, over a recent report appearing in the popular daily newspaper.
 


The report negatively impacted residents' relations with their Arab neighbors.

According to the suit, Maariv erroneously published that Maaleh Rechavam was established on "private Palestinian lands," in the language of the report. After requests that the newspaper publish a retraction were refused, according to Drori Bar-Levav, general secretary of the community, it was decided to sue Maariv.


Lawyers representing 14 residents of Maaleh Rechavam filed suit with the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court on Sunday. The defendants named in the case are Amnon Dankner, Maariv's editor-in-chief, journalist Uri Yablonka, and Maariv's publishing corporation. According to the suit, the representation of the community as it appeared in a May 2006 article by Yablonka defamed them, and negatively impacted Maaleh Rechavam residents' businesses and relations with their Arab neighbors.


Residents are seeking 108,500 shekels ($26,100) in damages, as well as a public correction stating that "the community of Maaleh Rechavam is situated exclusively on state lands."


Maaleh Rechavam, named for assassinated Tourism Minister Rechavam Ze'evi, was established in September of 2003 adjacent to the town of Nokdim. Lawyers for the

Residents are seeking 108,500 shekels in damages, as well as a public correction.

community say that it was established on state lands with the full approval of all the relevant authorities - the IDF, the Housing Ministry, the Regional Council, the World Zionist Organization - and with the blessing of then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. In addition, according to the court document, Maaleh Rechavam appears completely within state lands on maps of the region and is included in municipal planning for Nokdim.


In addition to the direct damages cited, the residents further claim, "Presentation of the community as sitting on private Palestinian lands may lead to hesitation to settle in the region, due to the double concern of the state evacuating the area and/or the eviction of the residents through a civil suit filed by owners of the land."


The suit concludes, "Misleading publicity such as this may aid those interested in uprooting the community and destroying the fruit of the residents' labors, in which they invested much of their personal funds."