Israel Election Chief Orders Smotrich to Remove Children From Campaign Ads

The head of Israel's Central Elections Committee, Judge Noam Sohlberg, ordered Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Thursday to remove images of children from campaign materials posted on his social media accounts. The ads were promoting the establishment of a new settlement. Sohlberg's decision stated that two photos showed groups of people, mostly children, and a third photo depicted a family with parents holding infants. Israeli election law prohibits the involvement of children under 15 in election propaganda, unless they appear in photos or recordings during routine activities. Sohlberg ruled that a ceremony for inaugurating a new settlement and taking photos with an elected official does not constitute a routine activity for children, making the publication of the photos a violation of the law. He ordered their removal from the posts. Sohlberg also noted that this is not the first time Smotrich has faced a complaint for involving children in election propaganda. He fined Smotrich and his party 10,000 shekels for the petitioner's expenses. Sohlberg emphasized that the law is clear and must be followed as written, urging those who wish to change it, particularly Knesset members, to pursue legislative amendments rather than challenging judicial decisions.