Israeli Court hear legal dispute between Ex-prime ministers

A legal dispute between two former prime ministers of Israel reaches court on Monday after Benjamin Netanyahu sued Ehud Olmert last year for calling him and his family "mentally ill.''

A first hearing in the case was scheduled for Monday morning at 9 a.m. (0700 GMT) at the Peace Court in Tel Aviv.

Netanyahu filed a defamation suit against his predecessor in May last year and was seeking damages equivalent to around 270,000 dollars.

In an interview, Olmert described Netanyahu, his wife Sara and his son Yair as incurably "mentally ill.''

Netanyahu has accused Olmert of compulsively trying to harm him, his family and their good name.

Olmert defended himself by saying that he was only reflecting the views of the Israeli public and international leaders.

As part of his defence, he called for a psychiatric examination of the Netanyahu family.

Israeli media have repeatedly reported on Sara Netanyahu's alleged violent outbursts of rage.

She had been sued and also convicted of harassment by several former employees.

Netanyahu's adult son Yair was known for his harsh campaigns against political opponents on social media, and he was often accused of using an extremely rude tone.

Both former prime ministers already had experiences with the judicial system.

After his conviction in a corruption trial, Olmert began a 19-month prison sentence in February 2016.

However, he was released three months early.

Netanyahu has also been the subject of a corruption trial since May 2020.

The era of the long-serving prime minister came to an end in June 2021, and he was currently the leader of the opposition.