Keshet
Israeli broadcaster (Channel 12); sued by Black Cube over Uvda; £350k costs
| Keshet Broadcasting
| |
|---|---|
| Type | Broadcaster |
| Headquarters | Israel |
| Industry | Television |
Not to be confused with other organisations named Keshet. Keshet Broadcasting (Keshet) is an Israeli commercial broadcaster that operates Channel 12 and the investigative programme Uvda. In 2019 the Israeli private intelligence firm Black Cube sued Keshet and five of its journalists in London over Uvda reports about the firm. Black Cube discontinued the £15 million claim in November 2020 and was ordered to pay £350,000 towards the defendants' costs.
Uvda reports (June 2019)
In June 2019 Uvda, presented by Ilana Dayan on Channel 12, broadcast a series of reports on Black Cube. The allegations included that Idan Ofer had hired the firm in 2014 against then finance minister Yair Lapid; that Black Cube had spied on opponents of Congolese president Joseph Kabila ("Operation Coltan"); that Bezeq had used Black Cube agents against a consultancy hired by the Communications Ministry; and that an unnamed business figure had hired the firm against the businesswoman Ofra Strauss.[1][2] Black Cube denied the Congo activity and said it had never met Ofer or targeted politicians, judges or regulators; Ofer's spokesman confirmed a brief contract but said the material came from public sources and was not used.[1][3]
Libel claim and costs
Black Cube (through B.C. Strategy UK Ltd) sued Keshet Broadcasting Limited and five journalists, including Dayan, in the High Court in London for £15 million ($19 million). Dayan called the lawsuit an attempt to "silence" her.[1] On 16 November 2020 Black Cube discontinued the claim. On 17 November Mr Justice Saini ordered an interim payment of £350,000 towards the defendants' costs.[4][5] A Black Cube spokesperson said the company had been advised that because its income had risen since the broadcast, the argument that it had suffered financial loss "has fallen away", while still calling the broadcast "wrong and seriously misleading".[4]
The case is covered in full on Black Cube v Keshet. No judgment on the merits was given.
See also
- Black Cube v Keshet
- Black Cube
- Black Cube in the Democratic Republic of Congo
- Idan Ofer
- Yair Lapid
- Joseph Kabila
- B.C. Strategy UK Ltd
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 ToI Staff, Secretive Black Cube sues Israeli investigative journalist for $19 million, Times of Israel, 7 June 2019.
- ↑ Israeli '21st-century mercenaries' spied for DR Congo's Kabila, report says, France 24, 10 June 2019.
- ↑ RDC: le drôle de démenti de la société israélienne Black Cube, RFI, 11 June 2019.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Stephanie Kirchgaessner and Owen Bowcott, Intelligence firm Black Cube ordered to pay £350,000 to Israeli TV show, The Guardian, 25 November 2020.
- ↑ ToI Staff, Black Cube to pay Israeli TV network £350,000 after dropping UK libel suit, Times of Israel, 26 November 2020.