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// DOSSIER — netanyahu-proposes-stripping-citizenship-defaming-israeli-military
Netanyahu Proposes Stripping Citizenship and Multiplying Fines for Defaming Israeli Military
REL_TIME: 20 Sep 2026 09:15Z · LANG: EN
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced plans to introduce two bills in parliament aimed at penalizing critics of the Israel Defense Forces. The proposed legislation would revoke the citizenship of individuals who defame Israeli soldiers and increase defamation damages twentyfold. The announcement follows government fury over 'NAZA', an award-winning documentary by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor containing testimonies from 24 military and intelligence insiders regarding alleged war crimes and AI-directed targeting causing mass civilian deaths in Gaza. While Israeli ministers have characterized the filmmakers' actions as treason, the Israeli army has rejected the documentary's allegations.
// Background
Current Israeli legal standards limit citizenship revocation to cases of treason and terrorism. Backlash intensified after the documentary 'NAZA' received the Special Jury Prize at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. The film reports that remote bombings targeting single Hamas members were authorized despite knowing civilian casualties could reach up to 500.
// Key Developments
- Netanyahu proposed two parliamentary bills: one revoking citizenship for defaming Israeli soldiers and another increasing defamation damages twentyfold.
- The initiative follows the Venice International Film Festival award won by 'NAZA', a documentary detailing alleged Israeli military misconduct in Gaza.
- The documentary includes testimonies from 24 military and intelligence insiders alleging that AI-guided strikes knowingly resulted in large civilian death tolls.
- Culture Minister Miki Zohar denounced 'NAZA' as treason and pledged to act immediately to strip the directors' Israeli citizenship.
- The proposal expands the grounds for citizenship revocation beyond existing legal standards, which are limited to treason and terrorism.
// Timeline
-
The documentary 'NAZA' wins the Special Jury Prize at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival.
-
Culture Minister Miki Zohar condemns 'NAZA' on X, calling it treason and pledging to revoke the directors' citizenship.
-
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announces plans to introduce two bills to revoke citizenship and increase defamation damages twentyfold for defaming soldiers.
-
Market analysts and observers note the proposal represents a significant domestic policy shift amid ongoing conflict in Gaza.
// Perspectives
[Israeli Government (Netanyahu and Zohar)]
Advocates for stripping citizenship and enacting steep financial penalties against individuals who criticize or defame soldiers, viewing such speech as betrayal.
[Israeli Military]
Formally rejected all allegations of war crimes and target approval procedures described in the documentary.
['NAZA' Filmmakers and Whistleblowers]
Documented internal accounts alleging the use of AI systems to conduct remote bombings with high civilian death tolls in Gaza.
// Quotes
“The first would revoke the citizenship of anyone who defames [Israeli army] soldiers, and the second would hit them in the pocket by increasing twentyfold the amount in damages for which they can be sued for defamation.”
“We will hit them both in the pocket and in citizenship, because they have no place among us.”
“The creators’ burning self-hatred, and their willingness to harm their homeland in order to receive applause from antisemites around the world, is beyond comprehension and constitutes a betrayal of the state.”
