Likud Demands Naama Lazimi Remove Altered Election Billboard or Face Legal Action

The Likud party has issued an ultimatum to Knesset member Naama Lazimi to remove a modified election billboard by 10:00 AM the following day or face an urgent petition to the Central Elections Committee chairman. The dispute arose after Lazimi altered a Likud billboard that originally featured images of Netanyahu’s associates alongside the Qatari Prime Minister, changing the photos and messages without permission and sharing the edited version on social media.

The original billboard showed Mojtaba Khamenei, Zohren Mamdani, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Naeem Qassem with the caption "They want Netanyahu to lose" and "Don’t let them win," alongside the Likud logo. Lazimi’s version replaced these figures with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and Netanyahu’s close associates Yonatan Urich, Shrolik Einhorn, and Eli Feldstein. The messages were inverted to "They want Netanyahu to win" and "Don’t let them lose," and the Likud logo was removed. Lazimi also added a direct message to Netanyahu referencing a "Qatari campaign version" and a "bill to be presented on 7/10."

Likud’s lawyer, Ilan Bombach, described the alteration as an unfair interference with the party’s election campaign, distorting its message and violating election law by failing to disclose the source of the publication. The party demanded Lazimi delete the altered content from all her media channels and provide proof of removal. Likud warned that if the content is not removed by the deadline, it will file an urgent petition seeking an injunction to stop further distribution.

This incident highlights ongoing tensions in the election campaign, with Likud actively defending its messaging against what it views as unauthorized and misleading edits by political opponents.