Election Law Violations Go Unpunished, Committee Chair Accused of Enabling

An analysis of Central Elections Committee decisions over the past two years reveals a pattern of repeated violations of election propaganda laws by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition partners, with Chairman Judge Noam Sohlberg allegedly failing to impose meaningful penalties or enforce deterrence. The violations encompass a wide range of offenses, from using minors under 15 in campaigns and failing to disclose AI-generated content, to deception, impersonation, and vote-buying.

The most striking trend is the consistent identity of the offenders and the minimal fines imposed by Sohlberg. Data processed by Omri Lavie, a law student at Tel Aviv University, shows the Likud movement paid the highest total fines at 87,250 shekels, but the average fine per violation was a mere 3,200 shekels, easily absorbed into campaign budgets. These costs are often split between the candidate and the party, further reducing individual financial exposure.

Prime Minister Netanyahu himself paid the most among individual candidates, totaling 77,167 shekels, yet averaging only about 3,000 shekels per violation. He also faced the highest number of petitions, 45. Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir followed with 27 petitions and total fines of 63,500 shekels, averaging 6,300 shekels per violation. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was third with 18 petitions and 28,333 shekels in total fines, averaging just 2,500 shekels per violation.

Furthermore, the analysis indicates a disparity in how petitions are handled. While 79% of petitions against Netanyahu were dismissed or rejected, and 59% against Ben-Gvir met the same fate, only 61% against Smotrich were dismissed or rejected. The average processing time for a petition is a lengthy 18.4 days. The coalition also saw 36 petitions take over 30 days to process, compared to only two for the opposition.

Coalition bodies collectively paid approximately 424,000 shekels for all violations, averaging about 3,500 shekels per offense, making violations financially worthwhile. The opposition and affiliated bodies paid significantly less, 27,500 shekels in total, averaging around 2,000 shekels per violation. Lavie stated that the fines are not deterrent, with parties repeatedly committing offenses due to a lack of effective deterrence. The total fines paid by the entire political system since 2024 amount to only 690,000 shekels, a small sum compared to the 200 million shekel party budgets for the 25th Knesset elections.

Violations analyzed include misuse of public assets, government offices, official accounts, military bases, and security forces, as well as AI-related deception, impersonation, vote-buying, and involving children in propaganda. Lavie noted that current laws are not adapted to the AI and social media era, and Sohlberg is not fully utilizing available tools like temporary injunctions and increased fines to curb illegal propaganda and disinformation.