Israeli Culture Minister Asks Shin Bet to Investigate 'Nezah' Film Creators

Israeli Minister of Culture Miki Zohar has formally requested that the head of the Shin Bet security agency, David Zini, launch an official investigation into the creators of the film "Nezah." This action comes amid an ongoing review of the possibility of revoking the Israeli citizenship of the film's two creators.

In his letter to the Shin Bet chief, Zohar asked for an examination of the sources, testimonies, and materials used to create the film, as well as the circumstances under which they came into the creators' possession. Zohar cited Section 11 of the Citizenship Law, which allows for the revocation of citizenship for 'breach of loyalty to the State of Israel' under specific conditions.

The minister expressed concern that while the creators claim the film is based on testimonies from Israeli military and intelligence personnel, their identities are concealed, and the testimonies are given anonymously. This anonymity, Zohar argued, prevents verification of the sources' identities, roles, credibility, or the origin of the information. He questioned whether the materials originated from Israeli sources as claimed, or from other parties with ulterior motives, and whether they were used to accuse Israel and IDF soldiers of war crimes.

Zohar stated that clarifying these matters is essential for his separate request to the Ministry of Interior to consider revoking the creators' citizenship. Previously, Zohar had approached the Director-General of the Ministry of Interior, Israel Oz, demanding an examination of the process for canceling the citizenship of filmmakers Yuval Avraham and Rachel Shore, the creators of "Nezah." This review also included assessing whether the acquisition or publication of the film's materials constituted treason or aided an enemy during wartime, in consultation with legal and security bodies.