Judge Orders Minister Ben-Gvir to Remove Prison Visit Video

The Chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Judge Noam Sohlberg, on Sunday ordered Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir to immediately remove a video the minister posted earlier that day. The video featured Ben-Gvir visiting a prison, where he was filmed speaking with two inmates in their cells about alleged harm attempts and his work within the prison service. The video also included captions with a similar tone.

Following the publication, the Movement for Quality of Government in Israel filed an urgent petition with the Elections Committee, alleging a severe violation of election law prohibiting the use of public assets for propaganda. The movement requested an interim order for the immediate removal of the footage.

In his decision to issue the interim order, Judge Sohlberg noted that, upon initial review, the video bore significant resemblances to a previous video by the minister that he had ordered removed just over a week prior, which also documented a conversation with a security prisoner. The judge emphasized that the similarity lay in both the election propaganda messages conveyed by the minister's words and accompanying captions, and the improper use of state assets, specifically a detention facility and special access to inmates.

Sohlberg stated that blurring the faces of inmates and guards did not rectify the legal flaws arising from the use of the location. Given that the request was filed mere hours after the video's publication and raised concerns of legal violations, the Chairman of the Elections Committee ordered the video's removal pending further decision. A full hearing on the petition is ongoing, and Minister Ben-Gvir has until Tuesday to submit his complete response.