High-profile case8/19/2026

Petition Demands Removal of Netanyahu Campaign Propaganda Featuring Images of IDF Soldiers

Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar! party petitioned the chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Justice Noam Sohlberg, against Benjamin Netanyahu and Likud. It demands the removal of dozens of posts that allegedly use soldiers, IDF uniforms and footage of combat operations for campaign propaganda.

Key facts

•Body: Central Elections Committee
•Chairman: Justice Noam Sohlberg
•Petitioner: Yashar! party
•Respondents: Benjamin Netanyahu and Likud
•Demand: removal of dozens of campaign propaganda posts
•The case number and exact filing date were not specified in the source

What the Party Is Challenging

Attorneys Uri Haberman and Guy Cohen filed the petition on behalf of Yashar!. The disputed materials include the cover photo on Netanyahu’s Facebook page, in which he is seen surrounded by soldiers; an August 5 video of his meeting with recruits to combat units; and posts featuring soldiers, pilots, officers, weapons and footage of operations in the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon.

The Petitioner’s Position

According to the party, this is not a case of a soldier appearing incidentally in the background, but rather a practice repeated over several months. The materials show Netanyahu alongside uniformed soldiers, addressing them, speaking with them and shaking their hands, as well as awarding ranks to officers.

Basis for the Demand

The petitioner relies on a recent decision in a petition filed by Likud itself against Yashar!. It was held that the repeated, prominent and substantial use of images of uniformed IDF soldiers in election propaganda may be considered prohibited use of an intangible public asset. The assessment takes into account the number of such appearances, their significance and their connection to the overall campaign message.

Decision Has Not Yet Been Published

Yashar! emphasizes that Likud itself previously sought a ruling that the use of soldiers in campaign propaganda is not permitted, and the Elections Committee adopted that standard. The party now demands that the same approach be applied to Netanyahu’s page. The source presented did not specify the final decision on the new petition.

Related Dispute Over Campaign Propaganda

A week earlier, Justice Noam Sohlberg issued an interim order requiring the removal of a Netanyahu video featuring children. The order was based on a separate petition alleging that the video violates the prohibition on children’s participation in election propaganda.

What this means for you

The dispute shows that a politician’s publication featuring soldiers or footage of military operations may be assessed not in isolation, but according to its frequency, prominence and role in the overall campaign message. For Israelis, this means that images of the IDF in party advertising are not necessarily permitted merely because they were originally taken during official activity. The source has not yet reported the final outcome of this petition.

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Case analysis based on court rulings