Israel Beytenu Demands Immediate Removal of Altered Photo Shared by Netanyahu's Likud Party

Israel Beytenu, led by MK Avigdor Lieberman, sent an urgent legal warning on Tuesday to the Likud party's legal advisor, Attorney Ilan Bombach, demanding the immediate removal of a digitally altered photo circulated on the official Instagram and Facebook accounts of Likud and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The image depicts Lieberman with Mansour Abbas, chairman of the Ra'am party, placing his hand on Lieberman's shoulder, a scene Israel Beytenu asserts never occurred in reality.

The letter references a recent amendment to the election campaign law (Amendment No. 43, effective July 16, 2026), which mandates clear disclosure whenever election propaganda includes "deepfake" content, digitally created or edited visual or audio material that could be mistaken for authentic documentation. Israel Beytenu stresses that if the photo was produced using artificial intelligence or digital editing software, the publishers are legally required to prominently disclose that the content is not genuine.

The absence of such disclosure, combined with the misleading caption "There are things you cannot hide," is claimed to be a blatant violation of the law. The letter demands that Likud and Netanyahu immediately remove the image from all platforms under their control and cease any further distribution. Attorney Eitan Haberman warns that failure to comply will lead Israel Beytenu to pursue legal action without further notice, including filing an urgent petition with the Central Elections Committee chairman to obtain an injunction and impose legal sanctions.