The Israeli government has entered uncharted legal territory after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared his intent to introduce two separate bills in the Knesset. Both proposals aim at individuals who, in his view, smear the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The measures were announced in the wake of the documentary NAZA receiving the Special Jury Prize at the Venice film Festival.
NAZA documentary: acclaim and controversy
Directed by Israeli journalists Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor NAZA entered the Venice competition as a late addition and captured a record-breaking 25-minute standing ovation. The film’s title derives from the Hebrew acronym נזק אגבי (Nezek Agavi), a military term for “acceptable collateral damage” during operations against Hamas. Interviews with former soldiers and IDF officials suggest the number of civilians deemed permissible ranged from under a dozen to as many as five hundred in certain attacks. The portrayal of these practices, coupled with the filmmakers’ previous work on the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land has sparked heated debate in Israel and abroad.
Netanyahu’s legislative push
In a video posted to X/Twitter, Netanyahu outlined the two bills he will submit as “government bills.” The first would revoke the Israeli citizenship of anyone found guilty of slandering IDF soldiers. The second seeks to multiply by twenty the damages that plaintiffs can claim in defamation lawsuits against such individuals. “We will hit them in their pockets and also in their citizenship, because their place is not among us,” the prime minister declared, echoing language he previously used to describe hostile actors.
Netanyahu insisted that all Knesset factions that profess support for Zionism should back the proposals. He cited recent incidents, including a 2025 comment by Democratic leader Yair Golan describing the IDF as killing children “as a hobby,” and a purported fake video released by former Military Advocate General Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi alleging sexual violence by soldiers. The NAZA film was presented as the latest affront that warrants legislative action.
Political allies and opponents weigh in
Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar echoed Netanyahu’s resolve, praising the move as a necessary response to what he called the filmmakers’ “burning self-hatred” and labeling their actions as “treason against the state.” Zohar had previously announced his intention to act immediately to revoke the directors’ citizenship, stressing that the creators were “willing to harm their homeland to garner applause from antisemites worldwide.”
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett also entered the fray, describing NAZA as a “cowardly blood libel” and expressing gratitude to reservists who, in his words, stand between Israel and a “next massacre.” While the proposals have garnered vocal support from right-wing figures, they have yet to be debated in parliament, leaving civil-liberties groups and opposition parties to question the constitutional ramifications of stripping citizenship for speech-related offenses.
As the Knesset prepares to consider these bills, the international community watches closely. The episode underscores a growing tension between artistic expression, political authority, and the legal limits of speech in a nation accustomed to vigorous public debate.
