Democrats Party Petitions to Halt Alleged Illegal Election Campaign by Im Tirtzu

Two weeks before elections, the "Democrats" party has filed an urgent petition with the Chairman of the Central Elections Committee, demanding an order to cease the activities of the "Im Tirtzu" organization. The party alleges that "Im Tirtzu" is operating as an illegal political entity, managing an election campaign in violation of campaign finance laws and concealing its funding sources. The Democrats claim "Im Tirtzu" ran a targeted campaign against their party and specific candidates, including Yair Golan, Naama Lazimi, Gilad Kariv, and Yaya Fink, by purchasing advertising space without registering as an active election body, as required by law for significant financial activities.

The petition also reveals that a campaign called "The People's Voice" directed users to online registration forms to collect identifying information. The Democrats contend this database was built on political filtering and used for direct voter outreach to discourage votes for their party. The petition further details alleged personal ties between "Im Tirtzu" and the Likud party, citing a founder running on the Likud list, the organization's chairman joining Likud, its spokesperson receiving salary from a Likud minister's public relations budget, and its digital affairs head being active in Likud support groups.

In response to the petition, "Im Tirtzu" stated that while its publications are legitimate, it stopped publishing similar ads over a month ago as a precautionary measure. The Democrats party asserted that the pressure exerted forced the organization to halt its activities. The Democrats party commented that "Im Tirtzu's" attempt to present itself as a non-partisan civic organization has collapsed, highlighting its political nature and bias, and vowed to continue fighting for election integrity.