Netanyahu: "We will revoke citizenship for those who defame IDF soldiers abroad - and hit them hard in the pocket"
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he has instructed the immediate preparation and advancement of the "NZA laws," aimed at acting against the defamation of IDF soldiers and the State of Israel. Netanyahu said steps will be taken against those who defame IDF soldiers abroad, including revocation of citizenship and economic sanctions. Culture Minister Miki Zohar welcomed the announcement.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced today (Wednesday) that he has instructed the immediate preparation and advancement of the "NZA laws," which he said are intended to act against the defamation of IDF soldiers and the State of Israel. In a statement he delivered, Netanyahu said: "We will protect our heroic fighters. We will revoke citizenship for those who defame IDF soldiers abroad - and hit them hard in the pocket." Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar welcomed the announcement and said it is time "to put an end to this disgrace." Zohar has already acted in recent days against the filmmakers: he appealed to the Shin Bet demanding an urgent security investigation against directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Shor, and requested an examination of the circumstances under which the materials and testimonies presented in the film were obtained. Earlier, he appealed to the Interior Ministry demanding a legal examination of revoking their citizenship, and announced that his ministry would not transfer budgets or government support to Israeli cultural institutions that screen the film in Israel. The background to Netanyahu's announcement is the uproar surrounding the documentary film "NZA" ("Collateral Damage") by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Shor, which won the Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival. The film presents testimonies from 24 soldiers and intelligence personnel about the IDF's combat mechanisms in the Gaza Strip. Among other things, it raised a claim regarding the approval of an attack in which an unusual number of civilian casualties was expected - a claim that the IDF strongly rejected and defined as "an absolute lie." Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir referred to attempts he said were intended to blacken the name of IDF soldiers and commanders through "lies and baseless manipulations."