Netanyahu Vows to Advance Citizenship Revocation Law for Soldier Defamation

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on September 16th his intention to advance legislation that would revoke citizenship from individuals who "defame IDF soldiers and the State of Israel." In a video statement, Netanyahu declared, "We will revoke citizenship from those who defame IDF soldiers around the world, and we will hit their pockets hard." He indicated plans to push forward two government-backed bills. One bill proposes a twentyfold increase in the maximum compensation for defamation lawsuits, removing the need to prove actual damages.

Netanyahu cited three specific incidents as the impetus for this initiative. He attributed a statement to Yair Golan, leader of the Democratic party, claiming Golan asserted that "IDF soldiers kill babies for fun." However, Golan's actual statement was, "A sane country does not fight against civilians and does not kill babies for fun," and he later clarified his criticism was directed at the government, not the military. Netanyahu also mentioned former chief military prosecutor Ifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, alleging she disseminated a "fake video" portraying IDF soldiers as rapists. The third incident referenced was the film NAZA, which Netanyahu stated depicted IDF officers and soldiers as war criminals.