CEC against 'military' footage – Bennett ordered to edit video

Israel's Central Elections Committee ordered Naftali Bennett to edit his campaign video, removing footage of soldiers and military equipment, and to pay a fine of 2,000 shekels. The decision was made following a complaint by the Likud party.

Israel's Central Elections Committee (CEC) ordered Naftali Bennett and his party 'Together' to edit a campaign video, removing footage of Israeli soldiers and military equipment. The ruling was issued by Deputy Supreme Court President Noam Sohlberg following a petition by the Likud party. In addition to editing, Bennett was ordered to pay 2,000 shekels in legal costs. The trigger was a 23-second video posted on social media on July 23. In it, Bennett states: 'A draft dodger will not receive a single shekel from the state. Not a Zionist – not at my expense,' referencing 100,000 young Haredim evading service, against a backdrop of active-duty soldiers and reservists. Likud's complaints focused on approximately 4.5 seconds of footage showing running soldiers and a firing tank. The party argued that displaying military equipment and soldiers in the context of political slogans violates election laws and creates an improper link between the IDF and Bennett's platform. Judge Sohlberg emphasized that the footage is unequivocally associated with the IDF, and its use with political appeals violates the law. He noted that even the public availability of the materials does not justify using military symbolism in campaigning. The decision aims to protect state property from political use and maintain the IDF's neutral status. Likud's request to recognize a more severe violation was rejected; Bennett was allowed to replace or remove the prohibited footage without fully deleting the video. Amid this ruling, the 'Yashar!' party led by Gadi Eisenkot filed a counter-petition against Benjamin Netanyahu, demanding the removal of dozens of posts from his Facebook page featuring soldiers, officers, and combat footage from Gaza and Lebanon. 'Yashar!' pointed to a systematic practice: the prime minister photographs with soldiers, speaks before them, and awards ranks, which they argue violates the same standard set by the CEC following Likud's complaint.