Netanyahu Fined for Using State Resources for Campaign Ads

The Chairman of the Central Elections Committee (CEC), Supreme Court Justice Noam Solberg, ruled on Sunday, October 4, that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu improperly used state resources for election campaigning on his official social media accounts. Netanyahu has been ordered to remove the publications deemed illegal and to personally pay the complainants a total of 29,000 shekels for legal proceedings. Five out of six complaints were fully or partially upheld.

One case involved a video of Netanyahu visiting a IDF post in Southern Lebanon. Solberg acknowledged that supporting soldiers' morale was a legitimate purpose for the visit. However, he determined that the segments highlighting government and prime ministerial achievements were edited in, stating, "This is, of course, election campaigning." The video was produced by the state press bureau (GPO) and disseminated using state resources. Furthermore, it was based entirely on the prime minister's visit to a military post in Lebanon, an opportunity unavailable to other candidates. Solberg ruled this publication a violation of the election propaganda law.

In other cases, the CEC chairman found illegal use of state resources for campaigning and ordered Netanyahu to remove the relevant materials from social media. This is not the first such decision by the CEC chairman. Previously, Noam Solberg ordered Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir to remove a video from a prison visit where he made harsh remarks to a terrorist prisoner, Hassan Salameh, while prison guards were present. Solberg deemed the video election propaganda, as the minister showcased his achievements, outlined political plans, and presented himself as the sole capable deterrent. Ben-Gvir and his party were ordered to pay 20,000 shekels for proceedings, with the minister personally responsible for half that amount.