Netanyahu Fined for Using Public Resources for Election Propaganda

The Chairman of the Elections Committee, Judge Noam Solberg, ruled on Sunday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu improperly used public resources for election propaganda. Solberg's decision addressed six petitions filed against Netanyahu, with five being accepted either fully or partially. The ruling found that Netanyahu had utilized "tangible or intangible assets of various public bodies" in violation of election law.

One petition concerned a video posted on Netanyahu's private social media accounts, which featured a visit to an IDF post in southern Lebanon. Solberg determined that the video, which was temporarily removed by court order, constituted election propaganda. He noted that the direct address to soldiers and attribution of successes to their actions, along with statements lacking context, were intended as self-praise for the government and its leader.

Solberg further stated that the publication used public filming and distribution resources, specifically citing documentation from the Government Press Office (GPO). He emphasized that a visit of this nature, involving the Prime Minister and senior defense and military officials, is not a resource that can benefit other candidates. The judge observed that while the legitimate aim might have been to boost morale and honor soldiers, the edited version of the video that remained focused on the achievements of the government and its head, which Solberg deemed "election propaganda."

In addition to this case, Solberg ruled that prohibited use of public resources for election propaganda occurred in other instances as well. Netanyahu was ordered to remove these publications from his social media accounts. Consequently, Netanyahu was ordered to pay a total of 29,000 shekels in expenses to the petitioners, including the "Vozlim BeYisrael" (Voters in Israel) organization.