Likud Wins Court Order to Remove IDF Footage from Bennett's Campaign Video

On August 19, 2026, Supreme Court Justice Noam Solberg partially accepted a petition filed by the Likud party against Naftali Bennett and his "Together" party regarding a campaign video. The court ordered the removal of segments showing Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers and weapons, including a cannon firing, from the video. The footage in question lasted about four and a half seconds within a 23-second clip. Likud argued that the combination of these images with campaign messages violated election laws by creating an association between the IDF and Bennett's party.

Bennett's side responded that the footage was illustrative and sourced from a publicly available Daily Mail World video on YouTube. Justice Solberg ruled that the use of such military imagery was not marginal and that depicting a firing cannon was unnecessary to convey the recruitment message. He emphasized that the law aims to protect public assets from political exploitation and to maintain the IDF's apolitical image.

While the court rejected Likud's procedural claim regarding a specific legal clause, it stressed the need for caution when using soldiers, uniforms, and weapons in political advertising to avoid implying military endorsement of candidates or parties. The ruling does not impose a blanket ban on showing weapons but requires Bennett's party to either remove or replace the prohibited footage rather than delete the entire video.

This decision follows an earlier ruling by Justice Solberg and clarifies the boundaries for election campaigning involving the IDF. The political debate over the army and recruitment remains permissible, but using military symbols for campaign purposes risks being illegal.

Separately, the petition also addressed Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu's social media, which frequently features him alongside IDF soldiers and operational footage. The party "Yashar!" criticized this practice, highlighting a pattern of Netanyahu appearing with soldiers in uniform, engaging with them, and incorporating military imagery in his messaging. "Yashar!" and former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot called on Likud to respect the same standards it demands from others regarding the use of military personnel in election propaganda.