Election Committee Head Rules Netanyahu's Video Constitutes Illegal Campaigning

The Chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Judge Noam Sohlberg, has ruled that a video filmed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at an Air Force base contains elements of prohibited election propaganda. Sohlberg ordered the video removed from Netanyahu's private social media accounts.

However, Sohlberg permitted the video to remain on the official accounts of the Prime Minister's Office, distinguishing between an official state message and campaign propaganda. The video, filmed at the Tel Nof Air Force base, featured Netanyahu stating, "There are signs that ahead of the elections our enemies will try to attack us. I am giving you a message: do not mess with us. Our long arm will reach you anywhere, anytime."

The video sparked considerable debate regarding whether the warning of an impending attack was concrete or an attempt to influence voters by creating a sense of threat. Legally, the video was filmed on an IDF base with an Air Force plane in the background and used the first-person plural, which Sohlberg determined constituted the use of public resources for propaganda, violating election law.

According to N12, Sohlberg found that while posting the video on the Prime Minister's Office accounts served a purpose of conveying a public message to foreign nations, its simultaneous release on Netanyahu's private accounts transformed its nature into personal election propaganda.

The ruling partially accepted a petition filed by the Lawyers for Promoting Proper Administration. Netanyahu and the Likud party were ordered to pay 2,500 shekels in expenses. This decision follows a series of recent petition rulings, five out of six of which were accepted, including a temporary order to remove a video filmed at an IDF post in southern Lebanon.