Israeli PM Netanyahu Ordered to Remove Campaign Video from Personal Accounts

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been ordered by the Chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Judge Noam Sohlberg, to remove a campaign video from his personal social media accounts. The video, filmed at an Air Force base with a military aircraft in the background, featured Netanyahu discussing security matters and stating, "I am not letting this happen, I will not let this happen," in reference to calls to withdraw from military achievements. The Association for Civil Rights and Public Administration filed a petition with the Central Elections Committee, arguing that the use of public assets like a military base and an Air Force plane for election propaganda violated election law.

Judge Sohlberg ruled that the video had a dual purpose, serving both as a public diplomatic-security message to other countries and as election propaganda. He emphasized the critical importance of where such material is published, distinguishing between official accounts conveying a state message and personal accounts directly serving a candidate. Since the video had already been published through official channels, Sohlberg found no official justification for its dissemination on personal accounts, deeming this a violation of the law.

Consequently, Sohlberg ordered the removal of the video from Netanyahu's personal accounts but permitted its continued display on the official accounts of the Prime Minister and his office. As the petition was only partially granted, Netanyahu and the Likud party were ordered to pay the petitioner symbolic legal costs of NIS 2,500.