The Media Line: Netanyahu Seeks Citizenship Revocation, Financial Penalties for Those Who ‘Smear’ IDF  

Netanyahu Seeks Citizenship Revocation, Financial Penalties for Those Who ‘Smear’ IDF  

By The Media Line Staff  

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would advance two laws allowing Israel to revoke citizenship and impose heavy financial penalties on people who “smear” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) by falsely portraying Israeli troops as deliberately harming civilians.  

“Their place is not with us,” Netanyahu said. “We will hit them both in the citizenship and in their pockets.”  

Netanyahu said he expected the Knesset to approve both measures, although he did not provide further details about the proposed legislation. He cited several statements and works that he said demonstrated the need for the laws.  

One example he cited was a 2025 statement by Democrats head Yair Golan, a political opponent of Netanyahu, who said: “a sane country does not kill children as a hobby.”  

Netanyahu also pointed to a “fake video” released by former Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. (res.) Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi that falsely showed soldiers committing sexual assault.  

Another case involved NAZA, a recent film that won the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival and alleged that the IDF intentionally targeted civilians. The IDF rejected the film’s claims, saying they relied entirely on anonymous sources who most likely lacked access to classified intelligence. It also denied deliberately targeting civilians or using artificial intelligence to maximize casualties.  

Culture Minister Miki Zohar backed Netanyahu’s proposal, particularly in relation to documentary creators Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, saying it was “time to put an end to this disgrace.” Zohar had previously raised the possibility of stripping the two filmmakers of their citizenship.  

“The burning self-hatred of the creators, who are willing to harm their homeland to garner applause from antisemites worldwide, is inconceivable and constitutes an act of treason against the state,” Zohar said Monday. 

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