Netanyahu seeks to strip citizenship as threats to NAZA film directors intensify

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has moved to criminalize and punish what he calls global “defamation” of Israeli soldiers, proposing two bills that would double statutory defamation awards to 1 million shekels without proof of damage and enable revocation of citizenship for those who “smear” the Israel Defense Forces. The push escalated after NAZA, an 80-minute documentary built on more than three years of investigative reporting into mass civilian deaths in Gaza by +972 Magazine, Local Call and the Guardian, won the special jury prize at Venice to a record 25-minute standing ovation. Senior ministers and military leaders condemned the filmmakers, with culture minister Miki Zohar calling for revocation of their citizenship, national security figures denouncing the film as “treason” and the IDF opening a leaks inquiry that could involve Shin Bet.

Directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor have been subjected to sustained harassment: far-right activists, some linked to Otzma Yehudit, demonstrated outside family homes; social media and rightwing media called for them to be “hunted” or punished; a mural placed crosshairs and swastikas over their images; and threats targeted relatives and travel plans. Human rights groups, more than 1,500 Israeli filmmakers and international figures like Laura Poitras have rallied in their defense, demanding protection for press freedom, investigations into civilian casualties in Gaza and unimpeded journalistic access; critics warn government retaliation has instead amplified global attention to the film’s findings.