Israeli Election Official Orders Netanyahu to Remove Campaign Videos, Pay Costs

The Chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Judge Noam Sohlberg, has ordered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to remove videos from social media that allegedly used the IDF and public resources for prohibited election campaigning. Sohlberg ruled that five out of six petitions against Netanyahu regarding his publications were justified, deeming them election propaganda.

One video, showing Netanyahu visiting an IDF post in southern Lebanon, was criticized by Sohlberg for primarily highlighting the achievements of the government and its leader, while parts concerning "boosting morale and honoring soldiers" were edited out. "This is, of course, election propaganda," the decision stated. Sohlberg mandated that Netanyahu remove these publications from his accounts and pay NIS 29,000 in expenses to the petitioners.

In a separate but related ruling, Sohlberg ordered Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir to remove a video posted earlier that week. The video featured Ben-Gvir confronting terrorist prisoner Hassan Salameh during a visit to a prison, with prison combatants appearing in the footage. Sohlberg determined this content constituted election propaganda, stating, "The minister boasted about his actions, described his future political plan, and conveyed a personal message that only the minister deters."

Sohlberg also ruled that Ben-Gvir must personally pay NIS 20,000 in expenses, to be split equally with his party, for the ruling.