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<p><img src="https://i2.wp.com/www.maannews.net/images/PhotoViewer/155252.jpg"><br />
<strong>Maan News Agency | Maan News Agency Nov 22, 2011</strong></p>
<p>JERUSALEM (AFP) &#8212; Israeli MPs have backed the first stage of a controversial bill which would significantly increase the compensation for libel claims, in a move critics say will seriously harm freedom of the press.</p>
<p>In a vote held late on Monday, MPs in the 120-member Knesset approved by 42-31 the first reading of a draft law which would dramatically increase the penalty for &#8220;defamatory&#8221; articles which appear in the press, on a radio or television broadcast, or even on Facebook.</p>
<p>In its current form, the bill would increase sixfold the damages resulting from a libel suit &#8212; to a maximum of 300,000 shekels ($80,000) without any need for the complainant to prove they suffered actual harm.</p>
<p>And if the reporter or journalist failed to include a response by the injured party in the article, the fine could be raised to as much as 1.5 million shekels ($400,000).</p>
<p>Opponents describe the bill, which must now be put to a second and third reading before passing into law, as an anti-democratic move aimed at stifling criticism of public figures which would seriously impede the culture of investigative reporting.</p>
<p>&#8220;If passed in second and third readings by the Knesset, the legislation &#8230; would seriously intimidate journalists, editors and publishers,&#8221; an editorial in the right-leaning Jerusalem Post said on Tuesday.</p>
<p>And the right-wing nationalist daily Makor Rishon said if it were passed into law, it would would &#8220;all but hermetically seal journalists&#8217; ability to conduct investigative reports and will prevent, in many cases, any real ability of the media to fight instances of governmental injustice and corruption.&#8221;</p>
<p>The bill was also condemned by the Tel Aviv-based Foreign Press Association and the International Press Institute, whose headquarters are in Vienna.</p>
<p>&#8220;This legislation is a clear attempt to intimidate and stifle the country’s media,&#8221; the FPA said in a statement issued Monday.</p>
<p>&#8220;We urge the prime minister, his cabinet and the Knesset to back down from these measures, stand up in support of democracy and free speech, and cancel this bill immediately.&#8221;</p>
<p>The International Press Institute warned that should the bill become law, it could &#8220;chill&#8221; the culture of investigative reporting in Israel.</p>
<p>&#8220;We urge the Israeli parliament to revise the Defamation Prohibition Law, which we fear would stifle free expression in Israel where, until now, Israeli journalists have enjoyed a level of press freedom above and beyond that of most of their colleagues in the region,&#8221; it said in a statement released on Monday.</p>
<p>&#8220;While media houses must be held accountable for their reporting, a penalty increase of this dimension for libel could discourage media from holding public figures accountable, which is their core duty.&#8221;</p>
<p>The draft legislation was tabled by two MPs, one from the ruling Likud party of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and another from Kadima, the center-right opposition party.</p>
<p>Both Netanyahu and Defence Minister Ehud Barak, who heads the centrist Independence party, voted in favor and the government imposed coalition discipline, compelling all its members to support the bill.</p>
<p>On Sunday, hundreds of journalists rallied in Tel Aviv to protest against the bill and other political attacks on the freedom of the press, an AFP correspondent said.</p>
<p>In a separate move, MPs on Monday also passed by 45 to 35 the first reading of a bill aimed at changing the composition of the panel that selects Supreme Court justices, which critics say is an attempt to bring right-leaning judges into the court.</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=438663">Source and more at the Maan News Agency</a></strong></p>
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