Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has called for new legislation that would strip citizenship from individuals who defame members of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). The proposal emerged in the wake of the Venice Film Festival premiere of “NAZA,” a documentary that has drawn sharp criticism from Israeli government officials.
Addressing the issue in a video posted to X on Wednesday, Netanyahu stated, “We will hit them in their pockets and also in their citizenship, because their place is not among us.” He further advocated for a legal measure that would increase the potential defamation damages against such individuals by twenty times.
The documentary “NAZA,” co-directed by Israeli citizens Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, explores what its creators describe as the mechanisms behind Israel’s “calculated mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.” The film includes interviews with 24 Israeli military intelligence officers and soldiers.
Despite the political backlash, “NAZA” was well-received at the festival, winning the special jury prize and earning a standing ovation lasting 24.5 minutes—the longest in the event’s history.
Netanyahu’s comments follow immediate threats from Israel’s Minister of Culture, Miki Zohar, who accused the filmmakers of treason. On Sunday, Zohar declared that Abraham and Szor’s work constituted a betrayal of the state, driven by “self-loathing” and a desire for applause from anti-Semitic audiences.
“As Minister of Culture, I will act immediately to revoke the Israeli citizenship of these despicable creators for betraying the state,” Zohar wrote, adding that the directors were willing to harm their homeland to gain international recognition.
I hope they reconsider. Revoking someone’s right to exist in their own country is extreme.
Twenty times damages? This feels like a direct attack on free press rather than justice.
Treason? Really? It is a film, not an act of war. This rhetoric is completely over the top.
Standing ovation for 25 minutes? That documentary clearly resonated with something people are tired of hearing about.
Stripping citizenship for domestic speech seems like a dangerous precedent, regardless of the content.