Central Elections Committee Chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg issued a temporary order on Thursday to remove a video that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu published on his various social media accounts.
The ruling is a response to a petition submitted on the matter, which claims that the content includes minors who were filmed in violation of the rules set out in the law.
The video, which Netanyahu published earlier this week, shows the Prime Minister during a visit to the Malha Mall in Jerusalem. He is seen in the video speaking and being photographed with visitors at the mall, including multiple children.
After the video was published, Attorney and CPA Yaron Meiri contacted the Chairman of the Central Election Committee, claiming that the inclusion of minors in the video violates the prohibition on using children for election campaigns.
According to Article 2c of the Elections Law (campaign means), there is an explicit prohibition on children under the age of 15 participating in campaigns, except in cases where it is a routine activity. Along with the hearing on the petition, Meiri requested a temporary order that will result in the immediate removal of the video until a final decision is made.
Justice Sohlberg accepted the request for a temporary order and instructed the video to be removed from all platforms. In his ruling, the judge noted that the video will be allowed to be reuploaded on condition that the frames showing children in personal contact with Netanyahu be removed.
It was also stated that the handling of the petition will continue until a final decision is made, after the comments of the Prime Minister and the Likud Party are received.