Netanyahu’s threats against the directors of “Naza” are part of his assault on the right to information ahead of elections

Just weeks before the legislative elections, scheduled for 29 October, Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his threat to strip journalists Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, creators of the documentary "Naza", of their citizenship - a threat he first made in mid-September following the film's screening at the Venice Film Festival. In an interview with the Israeli nationalist news site Makor Rishon on 25 September, the Israeli prime minister insisted that "portraying the officers and commanders of the Israeli army as war criminals causes us untold harm [...] When it comes from within, it is simply unbearable." Benjamin Netanyahu is the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and, according to RSF, bears responsibility for the killing of more than 200 journalists by the Israeli army, including at least 63 killed in the course of their work, acts that constitute war crimes. "It's as if dozens of ballistic missiles had been fired at us. If we don't revoke citizenship for this, then why revoke it?" he added, once again repeating his dangerous conflation of journalists - this time Israeli journalists - with combatants.

Since its release in September, the film, which includes first-hand accounts from Israeli soldiers about war crimes in Gaza, has caused an uproar among the Israeli public. Its directors, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, have become the targets of unprecedented attacks and threats from across Israeli society. The Israeli prime minister described the film as "global antisemitic incitement" and promised the adoption of two absurd pieces of legislation: the first would strip Israelis abroad who "defame" the army of their citizenship, while the second would increase the fines imposed on them.

An unprecedented campaign of violence

The journalists had already been threatened with the loss of their citizenship by Culture Minister Miki Zohar after the movie came out, alongside other condemnation of their work issued by political figures from across the political spectrum. The army, which rejected the allegations revealed in the film, threatened the directors with legal action. Meanwhile, anyone wishing to attack the filmmakers were given free rein. Crowds outside Rachel Szor's family home on 17 September called for "the traitor's execution," while pro-Netanyahu protesters targeted the offices of +972, Yuval Abraham's employer, to harass his colleagues. Graffiti depicting the journalists branded them "traitors," while other graffiti smeared them as "fake Jews." On television, a presenter on the pro-Netanyahu Channel 14 encouraged viewers to "persecute [Yuval and Rachel], hunt them down, give them no respite."

Elections fuel tensions

The attacks against Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor are the latest illustration of government pressure on the media as the 29 October legislative elections approach. ""The violent threats and smear campaign against the creators of NAZA has been terrifying. It was fuelled by decades of Netanyahu's campaigns against the media," said researcher Ayala Panievsky, author of "The New Censorship". "The upcoming elections in Israel have only fanned the flames further."

Just a few days before the offensive on "Naza", the daily Haaretz provoked the prime minister's ire. The newspaper reported that Benjamin Netanyahu had allegedly received warnings from the United Arab Emirates ahead of the 7 October attacks. The day after Haaretz's article was published, Netanyahu's office denied the report and threatened a defamation lawsuit. One of the few Israeli newspapers to denounce crimes committed by the army in Gaza, Haaretz has frequently been targeted by government supporters. Its offices have been vandalised twice, and its columnist Gideon Levy is frequently subjected to intimidation.

Resistance muted as abuses continue

"In the past, criticising the Israeli army was tolerated in Israel," said Ayala Panievsky. "But it has become a big taboo in society. They don't want to hear about it." An open letter by Israeli journalists in support of Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor received only a few dozen signatures, mainly from independent journalists or employees of Haaretz and +972. "Very few journalists who work for the major television channels signed it," Panievsky said regretfully. She nevertheless pointed to one glimmer of hope: "Someone crossed out the word 'traitors' on the graffiti showing Yuval and Rachel's faces in the street. In its place, that person wrote 'heroes'."