Israeli Election Chief Rules Against Netanyahu on Campaign Violations

Central Elections Committee Chairman and Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg has ruled against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and other senior officials in two petitions concerning alleged campaign violations. The petitions were filed by attorney Yaron Mairi and the "Israeli Democracy Watch" organization.

The rulings addressed two main events publicized in August 2026: the announcement of the "From Reserves to Key" housing program and remarks made by Netanyahu at the start of a government meeting. Regarding the housing program, which offered significant benefits to reservists, Sohlberg determined that its presentation, including the use of Government Press Office (GPO) images and ministry resources on private social media accounts, constituted clear propaganda rather than an informative update. He noted the program had not yet been approved and lacked legal consultation, yet was presented as a done deal and a major achievement for the public officials.

Concerning Netanyahu's speech, which touched on security issues like Iran, Lebanon, and Gaza, and included statements such as "As long as I am Prime Minister, a Palestinian state will not be established" and "Iran will not have nuclear weapons," Sohlberg found that propaganda elements were interwoven with legitimate security updates. He specified that promises to voters and the linking of security achievements to his continued tenure, using official government documentation, amounted to prohibited campaigning.

As a result, Netanyahu and the ministers involved were ordered to immediately remove all posts about the housing program from their private social media accounts. The government meeting videos could remain on private accounts only after all propaganda segments were removed and GPO material usage fees were paid. Each respondent was also ordered to pay 5,000 shekels in legal costs to each petitioner.