Yesh Atid! Demands Religious Zionism Party Remove Controversial Video Featuring Smotrich

The Yesh Atid! party, led by Benny Gantz, sent a formal warning letter to the Religious Zionism party and its chairman, Bezalel Smotrich, demanding the removal of a propaganda video posted on Smotrich's X account titled "Bringing Reservists Home." The letter, sent on the day of the demand, stated the video must be removed by 4 p.m. The video allegedly violates Israeli election law by using children in political advertising and was not labeled as AI-generated content, as required.

Yesh Atid! accused the video of falsely portraying Smotrich as an advocate for reservists, while the party claims he actually supported legislation enabling ultra-Orthodox draft exemptions, which they argue harms the Israel Defense Forces and national security. Yesh Atid! emphasized that true Religious Zionism supports military service and shared national responsibility, and that those encouraging draft evasion cannot claim to represent these values.

The letter clarified this was an initial warning before further legal action and reiterated the demand for the video's removal by the specified deadline.