Israeli Election Committee Bans AI-Generated IDF Soldier Images in Campaign Ads

The chairman of Israel's Central Elections Committee, Judge Noam Solberg, has ordered Gadi Eizenkot to remove a social media video featuring AI-generated images of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers. The ruling marks a precedent in the current election cycle, establishing that even artificially created depictions of IDF soldiers constitute prohibited use of public assets for election propaganda.

The video showed Eizenkot walking against various backdrops, including scenes with IDF soldiers engaged in military activities such as combat, presence in conflict zones, forcing entry into a home (implying a military casualty notification), and a military ceremony. The committee determined these soldier images were created using artificial intelligence.

The decision followed a petition by the Likud party, which argued that the video improperly used public resources for election campaigning, violating election laws. Judge Solberg agreed, emphasizing that although the video was published before a specific new directive banning IDF use in campaigns, the general prohibition on using public assets still applies.

Solberg's full ruling highlighted that the IDF uniforms and soldier figures are significant to the video's campaign message, linking Eizenkot to the military. The uniforms were described as "intangible public assets," making their use in political advertising illegal. Consequently, Eizenkot was instructed to remove the video from all his social media accounts.

Practically, this ruling means that during the 2026 election campaign, no political advertisements may feature IDF soldier images, including those generated by AI, reinforcing the separation between military symbols and political propaganda.