Watchdog Group Petitions to Remove Netanyahu Election Video
Translated & summarized from Kikar HaShabbat by baba
The Movement for Quality of Government filed an urgent petition demanding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remove a campaign video posted on election day. The video, filmed in the Bat Yam mayor's office, allegedly used public resources for propaganda. The watchdog group cited the explicit call to vote Likud and the use of municipal property as violations of election rules. They are seeking an immediate order to remove the video from all platforms.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Watchdog group petitioned to remove Netanyahu's election video filmed in Bat Yam mayor's office.
- The video allegedly used public assets and the city flag for Likud campaign propaganda.
- Prime Minister Netanyahu urged voters to "go out and vote Likud" in the clip.
- The Movement for Quality of Government cited previous Elections Committee rulings.
- The group seeks an immediate order to remove the video from all social media platforms.
Hours before polls closed on election day, the Movement for Quality of Government filed an urgent petition with the Chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Judge Noam Sohlberg. The group demanded that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be ordered to remove a campaign video posted on election day. The video, filmed in the mayor's office in Bat Yam and featuring the city's flag in the background, was published on Netanyahu's social media accounts, including Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, and TikTok. In the clip, Netanyahu urges the public to "go out and vote Likud."
The Movement for Quality of Government argues that this constitutes an alleged prohibited use of public assets for election propaganda. They contend that the explicit call to vote for Likud, combined with the video's publication on the Prime Minister's political accounts, demonstrates a clear propaganda objective. The petition further claims that the use of the municipal office and flag was not incidental and could grant an unfair advantage to the ruling party through the utilization of public resources.
The movement referenced previous decisions by the Elections Committee regarding similar publications by Netanyahu, including one concerning a video filmed at Tel Nof Air Force Base. Due to the timing of the publication on election day, the movement is requesting an immediate temporary order to remove the video from all platforms, along with a restraining order.
Attorney Ido Ornstein from the Movement for Quality of Government's legal department stated, "Public assets belong to the citizens. A municipal office must not be turned into a propaganda studio for a party. A prime minister is bound by election rules just like any other candidate, and his public role does not grant him the right to use public resources to promote his party." He added, "Precisely on election day, swift enforcement is required so that the protection of equality among candidates does not remain on paper."
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