An Israeli reserve officer and American-Israeli citizen from the Yitzhar settlement is pursuing an unprecedented legal action in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York against the American organization "Democracy for the Arab World Now" (DAWN) for spreading "defamation" against him as a "violent human rights violator."
Levi Isaac Pilant is in a federal lawsuit seeking to compel DAWN to turn over internal documents, emails, information sources and all correspondence with international organizations related to the publication against him. Additionally, the information obtained may support future legal proceedings against Israeli organizations such as Yesh Din that allegedly provided false information to DAWN. The American organization, founded by Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered in Turkey, claimed that Pilant "participated in violations of human rights, including unlawful killings and destruction of property, including the torching of homes, while acting in his capacity as an IDF officer." Pilant denied all allegations and emphasized that all his actions were performed within his lawful military duties, and also denies that certain of the alleged incidents ever actually happened.
DAWN published Pilant as part of a campaign targeting approximately 100 individuals, primarily Israelis, with a small number of American-Israeli citizens, including heads of councils in Judea and Samaria, former officers and public figures - with the goal of promoting individual sanctions against them in the US and Europe.
However, Pilant also holds American citizenship, and the US does not often impose sanctions on its own citizens. Pilant was among the few American citizens included in DAWN's primarily Israeli-focused campaign. The organization submitted formal requests to the US Treasury Department and State Department to take action against the Israelis on the list under the Global Magnitsky Act. The Biden Administration did impose sanctions on certain Israeli settlers in 2024.
The lawsuit, handled by the law firm Zell & Associates International Advocates, LLC, is based on Section 1782 of the US Federal Code which allows federal courts to enforce discovery proceedings for legal proceedings outside the US.
Attorney Marc Zell, who represents Pilant and also serves as Chairman of Republicans Overseas Israel and Vice President & General Counsel of Republicans Overseas Inc., said that "this is a coordinated attack on IDF soldiers under the guise of human rights. DAWN uses human rights language to advance political goals and criminalize lawful military service in a democratic state. This is an important precedent in the fight against legal warfare campaigns aimed at silencing Israel's defenders."
The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) filed an amicus brief supporting the court case, stating: "The effort to vilify and punish Israelis for defending themselves is outrageous and must be resisted by all legal means. DAWN operates according to a clear anti-Israeli political agenda."