Election Committee Orders Naftali Bennett to Remove IDF Footage from Campaign Video

The chairman of Israel's Central Elections Committee, Judge Noam Solberg, has instructed Naftali Bennett, leader of the Yachdut party, to remove segments from his election campaign video that show Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers engaged in operational activities and an IDF artillery cannon. This decision came after the Likud party filed a complaint alleging illegal use of public assets and the IDF for election propaganda purposes.

In the contested video, Bennett references soldiers who have been fighting for extended periods, contrasting them with ultra-Orthodox individuals who avoid military service. The background footage accompanying these remarks included the IDF soldiers and artillery, which the judge ruled constituted public property linked to the military's activities.

Judge Solberg emphasized that these clips were not minor elements but significant parts of the video, confirming the misuse of public assets in election campaigning. However, he clarified that the entire video does not need to be removed, only the specific segments featuring the soldiers and the artillery. The removal order aims to prevent the association of the IDF with political messaging while allowing the rest of Bennett's campaign content to remain.