Court Orders Smotrich to Remove Campaign Posts Featuring Children

The Chairman of the Central Election Committee for the 26th Knesset, Supreme Court Deputy President Justice Noam Solberg, ordered Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and his party to remove campaign materials featuring children. The controversial posts on the minister's social media accounts promoted the establishment of the new community "Mitzoke Eretz" in the Binyamin region.

The petition, filed by the "Choarim B'Yisrael" association, invoked Section 2G of the Elections (Propaganda Ways) Law of 1959. This statute explicitly prohibits involving children under the age of 15 in political election propaganda, allowing exceptions solely for routine activities.

Legal Arguments and Judicial Ruling

Minister Smotrich argued that the situation fell under the routine activity exception and questioned whether the children's ages had been legally proven. However, Justice Solberg firmly rejected these arguments, stating that visual inspection clearly showed the individuals were under 15, particularly the toddlers held by their parents.

"The main question before me is the applicability of the exception in Section 2G. Are the children appearing in their routine activity? I believe the answer is in the negative," Justice Solberg emphasized in his ruling.

Broader Implications for Public Figures

Addressing the minister's concerns regarding the silencing of public documentation, the committee chairman noted that politicians can easily avoid violating the law by using photos of individuals over 15 or blurring children's faces. The court also ordered Smotrich and his party to pay 10,000 shekels in legal costs to the petitioner, marking a repeated infraction by the minister.

Concluding his decision, Justice Solberg reminded lawmakers that legislative changes are the responsibility of the Knesset, not the courts, urging politicians to amend outdated laws rather than complain about judicial enforcement.