Hendra Wijaya
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced plans to introduce stringent new legislation designed to revoke the citizenship of Israeli nationals who defame the country's armed forces. The proposed statutory measures specifically target the creators of an award-winning documentary that investigates the operational conduct of the military during the ongoing war in Gaza.
The prime minister’s pledge follows intense public controversy surrounding the documentary titled *NAZA*, which was co-directed by Israeli investigative journalists Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor. The film examines serious allegations that mass civilian casualties were systematically factored into the Israeli military’s operational targeting decisions throughout the armed conflict in Gaza.
Both Netanyahu and the Israeli armed forces have firmly rejected the documentary's core assertions. The title of the production, *NAZA*, is derived from an internal Israeli military term utilized to define expected collateral casualties. To substantiate its reporting, the documentary relies extensively on anonymous interviews conducted with active Israeli intelligence officers and enlisted soldiers.
Despite severe backlash within Israel, the documentary recently achieved significant international recognition at the Venice Film Festival. During the event, *NAZA* captured the prestigious Special Jury Prize and set a festival record by receiving an unprecedented standing ovation that lasted between 24.5 and 25 minutes on September 12.
In his acceptance address at the festival, Abraham openly criticized the Israeli state, stating that the country was actively committing crimes and highlighting that Israel is deliberately and systematically targeting Palestinians in Gaza. These remarks ignited fierce outrage among Israeli officials and intensified demands for punitive government action against the filmmakers.
Addressing the public via a video published on social media, Netanyahu outlined a legislative initiative consisting of two distinct bills aimed at countering what he characterized as the immense damage inflicted upon Israeli service members by the documentary and similar public criticisms.
The first proposed measure would establish a legal framework permitting the government to strip citizenship from any individual found to have defamed Israeli soldiers. The second bill seeks to dramatically escalate financial penalties by multiplying the statutory damages that can be claimed in defamation lawsuits against critics by twenty times.
In his video statement, Netanyahu explicitly articulated the intent of the dual legislative proposals, declaring that the state would target dissenters through both economic and civic mechanisms. He emphasized that critics who defame soldiers should face severe consequences, stating that the government will hit them both in their pockets and in their citizenship because their place is no longer with the nation.
The push for these punitive measures coincides with heightened domestic political tensions as Israel approaches general elections scheduled for October 27. Recent public opinion surveys have indicated that Netanyahu’s right-wing governing coalition faces the possibility of falling short of securing a majority in parliament.
Within this charged electoral environment, Netanyahu has leveraged the controversy surrounding the documentary to attack his political opponents. In statements delivered on Tuesday, the prime minister accused several rival politicians of failing to adopt an uncompromising stance against the film, asserting that such hesitation renders them entirely unfit for public office.
To support the necessity of the proposed legislation, Netanyahu highlighted three primary examples of conduct he deemed unacceptable. Aside from the documentary *NAZA*—which he condemned for portraying Israeli military officers and enlisted soldiers as war criminals—he cited past public statements from domestic critics as well as internal military leaks.
Among the cited examples were controversial remarks made in 2025 by left-wing politician and former general Yair Golan, who stated that a sane country does not kill children as a hobby. Furthermore, the prime minister referenced a 2024 incident involving a military legal officer who leaked video footage documenting the abuse of a Palestinian detainee from Gaza by Israeli soldiers.
The legislative initiative is anticipated to encounter substantial constitutional resistance. While Israel's Supreme Court approved a law in 2022 permitting the revocation of citizenship in instances where an individual's conduct constitutes a breach of trust against the state, legal analysts anticipate that any newly proposed statutes would face immediate and rigorous court challenges.
Meanwhile, the Israeli armed forces have confirmed that they are actively examining potential legal action against individuals associated with the creation and distribution of *NAZA*. The official military probe comes amid broader institutional resistance against the documentary's portrayal of combat operations.
The escalating dispute unfolds against the backdrop of the devastating war in the Gaza Strip since October 2023. According to health authorities, more than 73,000 Palestinians—the vast majority of whom are civilians—have been killed in the conflict, figures and allegations that the Israeli political leadership and military continue to reject.
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