Legislation9/16/2026

Netanyahu Ordered Legislation Prepared to Revoke Citizenship for Slandering the IDF

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the immediate preparation and advancement of what are known as the “Naza Laws.” These laws are intended to provide for the revocation of citizenship and financial sanctions against those who, in his words, slander IDF soldiers abroad.

Key facts

•Initiator: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
•Measure: Possible revocation of citizenship
•Additional measure: Financial sanctions
•The source does not identify a specific bill
•The exact publication date is not provided in the source
•There has been no judicial ruling on the issue

What the Prime Minister Proposed

Netanyahu stated that the new legislation should protect IDF soldiers and the State of Israel from slander abroad. The detailed wording of the bills, the conditions for revoking citizenship, the types of financial sanctions, and the legal mechanism for applying them are not provided in the source. At this stage, this is an instruction to prepare and advance legislation, not laws that have been enacted.

The Controversy Surrounding the Film “Naza”

The background was the controversy surrounding the documentary film “Naza,” “Collateral Damage,” by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Shor, which won the Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival. The film presents testimony from 24 soldiers and intelligence personnel about IDF operations in the Gaza Strip. The IDF strongly rejected one allegation concerning the authorization of a strike in which an exceptionally large number of civilian casualties was expected.

Previous Steps

Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar welcomed Netanyahu’s statement and linked the initiative to the possibility of revoking the Israeli citizenship of the film’s creators. Earlier, he had asked the Shin Bet to urgently investigate the circumstances in which the materials and testimonies were obtained, and asked the Interior Ministry to conduct a legal review of the possibility of revoking Abraham’s and Shor’s citizenship. Zohar also announced that his ministry would not allocate government funding to Israeli cultural institutions that screen the film in Israel.

The Initiative’s Legal Status

The source does not report that a bill was submitted to the Knesset, provide its wording, state that it passed any readings, or indicate that the provisions entered into force. Nor does it identify the existing law on which the initiative is based or the legal criteria for defining the term “slander.” Therefore, at the stage described, the statement itself does not alter citizens’ rights or create a new sanction.

What this means for you

For now, nothing has changed directly for Israeli residents: the source reports only an instruction to prepare legislation. The practical implications can be assessed only after the text of the bill is published, including the group of people to whom it would apply, the grounds, the procedure, and safeguards for appeal.

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