Election Committee Orders Smotrich to Remove Campaign Video Featuring Children

Noam Solberg, chairman of Israel's Central Election Committee, issued a temporary injunction on Thursday ordering Minister Bezalel Smotrich and his party to remove a campaign video from their social media accounts. The video, published the previous evening, featured two young girls discussing the reserve military service of one girl's father, who reportedly had not been called up for a year. The girls attribute this to Smotrich.

Following the video's release, the NGO "Choosing in Israel" petitioned the Central Election Committee, arguing that featuring children under 15 in election propaganda violates Israeli election law, specifically Section 2g of the 1959 Elections Law, which prohibits using children under 15 in campaign materials except in routine activities. The petition requested a temporary order to remove the video pending a full hearing.

Solberg granted the temporary injunction and mandated Smotrich and his party to respond to the petition by Sunday, August 23, 2026. Until further committee decisions, the removal order remains in effect. This legal action precedes the final ruling on the petition's merits.