Netanyahu fined again over military base election video

Israel's Central Elections Committee Chairman Noam Sohlberg has ordered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to delete a video filmed at Tel Nof Air Base from his personal social media accounts and pay 2,500 shekels ($821) in legal costs, ruling the footage violated election law by using public resources including a military base and aircraft, while allowing it to remain on official accounts, according to Israeli media reports.

Netanyahu posted the Sept. 29 clip, which showed an Israeli Air Force aircraft in the background, while warning that "indications that our enemies will try to attack us before the elections" existed, according to Israel's Channel 15.

Second penalty for campaign violations

The decision marked Sohlberg's second ruling against Netanyahu in days, following Sunday's acceptance of five petitions concerning the use of official speeches and military footage for campaign purposes, including a video from southern Lebanon that the committee chairman said was edited to highlight government achievements while removing troop morale content. "This is, of course, election propaganda," Sohlberg said, ordering the payment of 29,000 shekels ($9,000) in costs.

Election context

Israel is scheduled to hold a Knesset election on Oct. 27, with recent polls showing opposition parties at 52 seats versus 51 for Netanyahu's coalition, neither approaching the 61 needed to form a government. Netanyahu has led the most right-wing government in Israel's history since December 2022 while standing trial on corruption charges and facing an International Criminal Court arrest warrant over alleged war crimes in Gaza.