Judge Rejects Gadi Eizenkot's Demand to Remove Smotrich's Controversial Video

On Sunday, Noam Solberg, chairman of Israel's Central Elections Committee, dismissed Gadi Eizenkot's request to immediately remove a video posted by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. The video portrayed former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett as a "minister in the Eizenkot government" supporting Palestinian autonomy, a claim Eizenkot sought to block. Solberg reviewed the relevant considerations and decided against issuing an immediate injunction. However, in a related petition concerning the same video, Solberg instructed the petitioner to clarify their position on a specific issue before deciding on further proceedings regarding Eizenkot's petition.

The dispute began last Friday when Eizenkot filed the petition against the video. Smotrich responded by calling the petition a "ridiculous attempt to silence" and accused Eizenkot of fearing exposure of his plans to form a left-wing government with Mansour Abbas and Yair Golan. Smotrich warned that such a government would evacuate settlements and dismantle security arrangements in Judea and Samaria. He challenged Eizenkot to commit not to form a government with Abbas and to uphold the current policies in the West Bank, urging the right-wing public to recognize the threat posed by Eizenkot's potential coalition.

This legal and political clash unfolds amid preparations for the 2026 elections, highlighting tensions within the right-wing camp over alliances and government formation strategies.