Election Judge Warns Netanyahu Against Using Public Resources for Campaign Videos
Translated & summarized from Srugim by baba
The head of the Central Elections Committee, Judge Noam Sohlberg, dismissed petitions against a video by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu filmed at an Air Force base. Sohlberg ruled the video served a security purpose and was not election propaganda, but warned that future similar videos could be deemed prohibited campaign material. The decision means the current video will remain, but future publications will be scrutinized more closely.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Judge Noam Sohlberg rejected petitions against a video by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
- The video, featuring Netanyahu at an Air Force base, was deemed a security message, not campaign propaganda.
- Sohlberg warned that future similar videos could be considered prohibited election propaganda.
- The ruling means the current video will not be removed.
- The decision comes just two days before the election.
The head of the Central Elections Committee, Judge Noam Sohlberg, on Sunday rejected petitions against a video released by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The video, filmed at an Air Force base with a fighter jet in the background, features Netanyahu delivering a message warning Israel's enemies. Petitioners argued the video constituted prohibited election propaganda, violating the law against using public assets for campaign purposes, specifically citing the use of the Air Force base and jet as a backdrop.
However, Sohlberg ruled that in this instance, Netanyahu's remarks served a security and deterrence purpose, thus not classifying the video as election propaganda and declining to order its removal. The judge cautioned, however, that if similar videos are released closer to the election, the tendency to view them as prohibited campaign material will increase, depending on the specific circumstances of each future publication.
Sohlberg noted that Netanyahu has delivered similar messages multiple times recently, a factor that could influence the assessment of future videos. While the current video will not be removed, this decision does not grant blanket approval for similar future content. Any future petitions will require an examination of the specific circumstances to determine if the message is genuinely for security or constitutes election propaganda.
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