Netanyahu threatens to revoke citizenship to anyone who criticizes IDF Maria Villarroel Thu, September 17, 2026 at 12:36 AM UTC 0 Netanyahu escalated a campaign against the Oscarwinning filmmakers behind the documentary NAZA (Image: Getty) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Wednesday to revoke the citizenship of those who criticize or "defame" soldiers in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in an upcoming documentary featuring killings in Gaza.
Netanyahu threatens to revoke citizenship to anyone who criticizes IDF
Maria Villarroel Thu, September 17, 2026 at 12:36 AM UTC
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Netanyahu escalated a campaign against the Oscar-winning filmmakers behind the documentary NAZA (Image: Getty)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Wednesday to revoke the citizenship of those who criticize or "defame" soldiers in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in an upcoming documentary featuring killings in Gaza.
In a video statement posted to his social media, the prime minister escalated the campaign against the Oscar-winning filmmakers behind the documentary NAZA, which highlights mass civilian killings in Gaza. The name of the documentary is an acronym used by Israel's intelligence services to determine how many civilians they expect to die in an airstrike.
"We will revoke citizenship for anyone who defames IDF soldiers around the world - he will be deeply hurt in his pocket," Netanyahu said, adding that he will push for two government bills concerning defamation of IDF soldiers and the state of Israel.
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The first bill will double the amount of a defamation claim to 1 million shekels without proof of damage. It will be submitted through the justice ministry.
The second bill will be submitted through the interior ministry and will push for the revocation of citizenship for anyone who is found to have defamed IDF soldiers and Israel in general from anywhere in the world.
Netanyahu has accused those behind the film NAZA of incitement and antisemitism (Image: -)
"We will hit them in their pockets and also in their citizenship, because their place is not among us," Netanyahu declared.
Shot on the rooftops of Tel Aviv at night in extreme secrecy over three years, NAZA features testimony from 24 Israeli military insiders, including intelligence officers and soldiers, who give insight into the war in Gaza and what they say is the systemic killing of Palestinian civilians.
Netanyahu has accused those behind the film NAZA of incitement and antisemitism, while the head of the Israeli military has vowed to track down the soldiers who cooperated with the project.
The documentary alleges that Israel uses artificial intelligence to identify and bomb potential targets of the militant Hamas group in Gaza - often knowing that many civilians will likely be killed in an attack. The Israeli military has acknowledged using AI to help identify targets but says that a human being makes the final decision before a strike is carried out.
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Netanyahu, his Cabinet members, and also the prime minister's opponents in next month's key elections have all lambasted the film (Image: Getty Images)The documentary set off a firestorm in Israel
The reception in Venice set off a firestorm among Israel's leading politicians and military officials, many of whom have described NAZA as anti-Israel and lacking context. They all acknowledged they have not seen the film.
Netanyahu, his Cabinet members, and also the prime minister's opponents in next month's key elections have all lambasted the film, describing it as antisemitic and a part of a broader campaign to defame Israel.
"We are fighting global antisemitic incitement," Netanyahu said on Monday. "When it comes from within us, it's simply unbearable."
Israel's Culture Minister Miki Zohar called on Monday for the documentary's Israeli co-directors, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, to be stripped of their citizenship. Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the Israeli military's chief of general staff, asked military prosecutors to investigate potential leaks in the film.
"This is a dangerous attempt to deny us the legitimacy to defend ourselves against the worst of our enemies," Zamir said.
Co-produced by The Guardian and Jonathan Glazer, who was behind the 2023 Oscar-winning The Zone of Interest, the film is the second documentary from Abraham and Szor. It follows their 2025 Oscar-winning No Other Land, which chronicled Palestinians in part of the occupied West Bank as they face home demolitions by Israeli troops and attacks by Israeli settlers.
The film is not yet available to audiences, though the filmmakers have said they intend to seek distribution in Israel, Europe, and the United States.
"The testimonies it contains are true and we believe they deserve to be heard. The interviews were given by confidential journalistic sources," The Guardian said in a statement.
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Source: "AOL Breaking"
Source: Breaking
Published: September 17, 2026 at 03:54AM on Source: RED MAG
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