Netanyahu Used Military Facilities for Election Propaganda, Israel's Election Chief Rules

Israel's Central Elections Committee Chairman, Judge Noam Sohlberg, has ruled that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu engaged in prohibited electioneering during several speeches given in recent months, including addresses to soldiers. Sohlberg accepted two complaints in full, partially accepted three petitions, and rejected a sixth.

Sohlberg acknowledged a fundamental tension in such cases, where an incumbent running for re-election uses their official position. He noted the need to ensure fair elections and prevent unfair advantages or misuse of public resources, while also recognizing that an incumbent naturally brings their past performance, both successes and failures, to the campaign.

He elaborated that while there is a structural friction between preventing the misuse of office for propaganda and the duty to inform the public about official actions, not every presentation of official work constitutes election propaganda. Sohlberg stressed the need to examine the specifics, such as the emphasis on the individual's role, potential additional benefits of the speech, and whether it includes an implicit call for re-election, especially closer to election day.

Applying these criteria, Sohlberg determined that speeches given by Netanyahu in June at the Prime Minister's office after the "Operation Iron Sword" war and at a ceremony renaming a road constituted election propaganda using public resources. He also ruled that a speech to senior IDF command staff in late June was an improper use of public resources. A speech during a visit to an IDF post in southern Lebanon was deemed electioneering when published on Netanyahu's private channels, using footage from the Government Press Office.

Furthermore, Sohlberg ruled that a speech at the annual commemoration for Ze'ev Jabotinsky in July and another at the Negev Conference on the same day were clear instances of election propaganda. He ordered Netanyahu to remove the identified propaganda segments from official channels or remove the speeches entirely. Netanyahu was also ordered to pay 29,000 shekels in legal costs to the petitioners.