Central Elections Committee Orders Netanyahu to Remove Campaign Video Featuring Children

The Central Elections Committee, led by Judge Noam Solberg, has issued a temporary injunction demanding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remove a campaign video filmed at the Malha Mall. The video shows Netanyahu interacting and taking photos with children, which the committee says violates the explicit prohibition on involving children under 15 in election propaganda, as outlined in Section 2C of the Elections Law. The petition, filed by attorney Yaron Meiri, highlighted a segment where a child is asked "Who did you vote for?" and responds "Bibi," which is considered a clear breach of the law.

Judge Solberg ordered the video to be removed from all social media platforms until the conclusion of the legal proceedings. He noted that the video could be reposted if all footage featuring children in direct contact with Netanyahu is removed. The committee is awaiting responses from Netanyahu and the Likud party before continuing the hearing.

This case follows a similar recent incident where the Likud party requested the removal of a campaign video by Gadi Eizenkot and the Yisra party, which featured AI-generated images of soldiers and combat zones. Likud claimed this violated laws against using public assets, specifically the Israeli Defense Forces, in election materials. Eizenkot's party defended the video, arguing that AI usage did not constitute misuse of public property.