Justice Sohlberg: Netanyahu Used IDF Resources for Election Propaganda
Central Elections Committee Chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg ruled PM Netanyahu used IDF resources for election propaganda, ordering material removed.
Jerusalem, 4 October, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Central Elections Committee Chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg ruled Sunday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used IDF facilities and public resources for election propaganda in several speeches and videos. Five of six petitions against Netanyahu were accepted in full or in part, while one was rejected.
Sohlberg ruled that Netanyahu’s remarks before the IDF General Staff Forum crossed the line into election propaganda because he presented military and diplomatic achievements as his personal accomplishments. Holding the event at a senior military forum unavailable to other candidates gave Netanyahu an advantage derived from his position, Sohlberg said.
Regarding Netanyahu’s visit to an IDF outpost in southern Lebanon, Sohlberg distinguished between the official speech, which he found legitimate, and an edited video published on Netanyahu’s political accounts. He ruled that the video used government-produced footage to emphasize Netanyahu’s achievements. Sohlberg ordered the material removed and Netanyahu to pay NIS 29,000 in legal expenses.