Court Rejects Bid to Halt Distribution of Children's Book Praising Minister

The Central Elections Committee chairman, Judge Noam Sohlberg, on Tuesday rejected a petition seeking to prevent the free distribution of the illustrated children's book "The Minister Who Didn't Stop." The book, written in rhyme, focuses on the character and activities of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and was distributed without charge.

The Movement for Quality of Government in Israel filed a petition to halt the book's dissemination, arguing that its distribution violated election laws, specifically the prohibition against election propaganda involving gifts. The movement also contended that the book involved children in election campaigning and misused public resources, citing illustrations on the book's cover.

Judge Sohlberg had requested responses from Ben-Gvir and the Otzma Yehudit party regarding the distribution of the book as a gift. After receiving their responses, he decided to dismiss the petition, thereby removing the attempt to stop the free distribution of the book.