Election panel orders Ben Gvir to remove campaign-style prison video

Central Elections Committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg accepted a petition by the Movement for Quality Government and ruled that National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir illegally used public property for election propaganda. On Friday, Sohlberg ordered Ben Gvir to delete from all of his social media accounts a 38-second video filmed during a visit to an Israel Prison Service detention facility at Ashdod port, where he is seen walking among handcuffed Somoud flotilla activists and waving an Israeli flag.

The ruling found that the video, shot inside an Israel Prison Service site and published on the minister’s personal channels, met the “dominant purpose” test for prohibited electioneering and violated Section 2A of the Elections (Methods of Propaganda) Law. Sohlberg said the clip had a “clear propaganda purpose” and involved the use of state assets.

The court also imposed costs totaling 23,000 shekels. Ben Gvir must personally pay 8,000 shekels to the petitioners, while the National Security Ministry and the Israel Prison Service will pay 15,000 shekels together. The committee noted that the issue is not new, pointing to a March ruling in a previous case that said videos showing Prison Service facilities and uniformed security personnel for political purposes amount to unlawful use of state property.

The decision came after the Movement for Quality Government demanded on May 20 that the minister remove the video within four days. After Ben Gvir refused, the group filed the petition. In response, the organization welcomed the ruling as a warning to public officials about preserving clean elections and separating state duties from campaign activity. Attorney Tomer Naor said that when a minister turns state facilities, Prison Service uniforms and security personnel into campaign tools, he not only breaks the law but also harms public trust.