Gadi Eizenkot's Yashar! Party Demands Removal of Netanyahu's Posts Using IDF Soldiers for Election Propaganda

Gadi Eizenkot's party, Yashar!, has filed a petition with Israel's Central Elections Committee demanding the removal of dozens of posts from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's social media accounts. The party alleges that these posts unlawfully use Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers and operational footage for election propaganda purposes. Yashar! emphasizes that this is not an isolated incident but a consistent pattern over several months, showing Netanyahu interacting with soldiers in uniform, delivering speeches to them, shaking their hands, and awarding ranks to officers. The posts also include images of IDF soldiers, weaponry, and operational activities as part of the campaign messaging.

Yashar! highlights that the Likud party itself previously requested the Elections Committee to prohibit the use of IDF soldiers in election propaganda, a position the committee accepted and established as a standard. The party now calls on Likud to uphold this standard regarding Netanyahu's posts. The petition follows similar controversies involving political figures using security personnel for campaign purposes, including Itamar Ben-Gvir's use of police officers in propaganda.

This development comes amid the ongoing election campaign, raising questions about the appropriate boundaries of military imagery in political messaging and the enforcement of election regulations. The Central Elections Committee will now consider Yashar!'s petition and decide whether to order the removal of the contested content from Netanyahu's accounts.