Netanyahu Pushes 2 Bills to Revoke NAZA Directors' Citizenship as Gaza Film Ignites Uproar
Updated
Updated · The Christian Science Monitor · Sep 17
Netanyahu Pushes 2 Bills to Revoke NAZA Directors' Citizenship as Gaza Film Ignites Uproar
3 articles · Updated · The Christian Science Monitor · Sep 17
Summary
Benjamin Netanyahu said he will bring two Knesset bills targeting the Israeli directors of “NAZA” — one to revoke citizenship and another to raise defamation damages for alleged slander of IDF soldiers.
The move followed a fierce backlash to the Venice-winning documentary, which cites anonymous testimony from 24 Israeli service members about airstrikes in Gaza, including AI-assisted target selection and projected civilian casualties.
Culture Minister Miki Zohar raised possible treason claims, but legal experts said Israeli law allows citizenship revocation only after convictions such as treason or aggravated espionage and there is no precedent for this case.
More than 1,800 people had signed a petition defending the filmmakers, while journalists' and directors' groups called the threats an attack on free expression.
The dispute has widened Israel's struggle over how to confront a war that has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack killed 1,200 people and took 253 hostages.