Election Committee Orders Ben Gvir to Remove Prison Video and Pay Fine
Election Committee Chairman Noam Solberg ordered National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to remove a prison video used for illegal election propaganda and fined him personally.
The Central Election Committee chairman, Justice Noam Solberg, ordered National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on Thursday to immediately remove a controversial video filmed inside a prison from all his social media accounts. The ruling followed petitions filed by the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel and the 'Choosing Israel' association.
In addition, Justice Solberg ordered Ben Gvir and the Otzma Yehudit faction to pay legal expenses totaling 20,000 shekels, to be divided equally between them, with half coming directly from the minister's personal pocket.
The Controversial Prison Video
The decision stems from a video uploaded by Ben Gvir earlier this week, documenting his prison visit where he confronted Palestinian security prisoner Hassan Salameh. Accompanied by armed prison guards, the minister is seen shouting threats, stating among other things: 'Today I am closing a circle... I want to kill you. I want to execute you... Here I am in charge of hell.'
Alongside the footage, Ben Gvir wrote that as National Security Minister he turned the terrorist's life into hell, adding: 'As Defense Minister I will work to ensure that murdering terrorists like him are executed, and I will promote an immigration policy from Gaza and the West Bank.'
Election Propaganda Violation
Petitioners argued that the publication constituted unlawful election propaganda utilizing public assets in violation of election laws. Ben Gvir and his party acknowledged using prison facilities and guards, but claimed the publication aimed to deter terrorists rather than serve as propaganda.
Justice Solberg rejected this defense, ruling that the dominant purpose of the publication was election propaganda. Solberg noted that the minister boasted of his actions, presented a political platform ahead of the upcoming elections, and broadcasted a personal message timed about a month before the vote.
The minister is exploiting his role to create election propaganda: visiting a specific prisoner-terrorist in his cell, enjoying the security of armed and uniformed correction officers, and showcasing them throughout the video.
In his reasoning for imposing personal expenses, the Election Committee chairman emphasized the severity of the violation, stating that the minister abused his authority and the subordination of the prison service to gain an unfair electoral advantage.
