Israeli Election Chief Orders Netanyahu to Remove Campaign Posts Using Military and Public Resources

The President of Israel's Central Elections Committee, Judge Noam Sohlberg, has ordered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to remove or modify campaign posts published on official and personal platforms. Sohlberg determined that these posts constituted electoral propaganda that utilized public resources, including official activities and meetings with the Israeli military. The ruling accepted five out of six petitions filed against Netanyahu, with two fully and three partially granted, while one petition was rejected. Netanyahu was also ordered to pay 29,000 shekels in personal expenses to the petitioners and involved government bodies.

The petitions addressed a series of speeches and video clips released by Netanyahu in recent months, some during official government events and others during meetings with military officers and soldiers. The core allegation was that Netanyahu used his position and state resources for electoral propaganda purposes, which is prohibited by Israeli law.

Specific cases examined included a press conference at the Prime Minister's office, a security assessment with the IDF's senior command, and a visit to an Israeli military site in southern Lebanon. In one instance, Sohlberg found that Netanyahu had personally claimed credit for achievements and contrasted them with his opponents' stances, making the primary purpose of the post to persuade voters. He emphasized that using the military leadership forum, a resource unavailable to other candidates, for electoral material was a prohibited use of public resources.

Regarding a June 30 visit to an Israeli military site in southern Lebanon, Sohlberg noted that while the full speech was primarily aimed at praising soldiers' performance and presenting security policy, edited clips posted on Netanyahu's personal accounts removed parts about troop morale and informational aspects. These edited clips, which attributed security achievements to the government and its leader, were deemed "electoral propaganda" by Sohlberg. The use of government filming and production materials from the Government Press Office was also cited as a violation, as the visit to the military site in Lebanon was an opportunity not equally accessible to other candidates.

In another case, a speech by Netanyahu following the war on Iran was found to focus on his "personal role and achievements" while attacking opponents. Sohlberg ruled that the predominant purpose of large parts of this speech was to persuade voters, not merely to inform the public. The decision clarified that the issue is not a public official presenting achievements, but the use of state resources and official platforms for campaign financing or dissemination.

Conversely, a petition concerning a speech on security policy towards Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran was rejected. Sohlberg determined its primary purpose was to inform the public about government policy, despite some problematic phrasing. The ruling also distinguished between posts on official state accounts and personal political accounts, stating that use of public resources is a direct factor when posts appear on official platforms, while personal accounts require further verification of production and resource origins.