The Israeli government’s plan to introduce legislation allowing citizenship to be revoked from people accused of defaming Israeli soldiers abroad is a direct threat to freedom of expression, press freedom and the right to nationality.

Announced amid a campaign targeting journalist Yuval Abraham and filmmaker Rachel Szor over their documentary NAZA, the proposals seek to turn citizenship and financial penalties into instruments of retaliation against those who document, investigate or expose alleged abuses by the Israeli military.

Background

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced two proposed bills on September 16, 2026. One would permit citizenship to be revoked from people who “defame” Israeli soldiers abroad, while the other would increase statutory damages in defamation proceedings twentyfold. Netanyahu explicitly cited NAZA and its directors among the examples behind the proposals.

Directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, NAZA features testimony from 24 Israeli intelligence personnel and soldiers concerning military targeting practices in Gaza. The film received the Special Jury Prize at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival.

Following the film's release, the filmmakers faced escalating threats and intimidation. Miki Zohar called for their citizenship to be revoked, demonstrators gathered outside Rachel Szor's family home, and threats were directed at the filmmakers and their families.

The proposals also come amid growing international scrutiny of Israeli grave violations in Gaza. In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu after finding reasonable grounds to believe he bore criminal responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Institutional Position

Citizenship is a fundamental right, not a tool of retaliation. Revoking nationality for allegedly “defaming” soldiers would weaponize citizenship to suppress scrutiny of military conduct and deter journalists, filmmakers, researchers, and witnesses from exposing alleged abuses.

The proposed twentyfold increase in defamation damages would reinforce that chilling effect. Together, the measures would subject those reporting on alleged violations by military and state authorities to severe legal, financial, and political pressure. The campaign against NAZA demonstrates how efforts to discredit critical reporting can escalate into intimidation and threats.

Military institutions are not immune from criticism. Investigating, documenting, and reporting on credible allegations of war crimes and other serious violations are protected activities and essential to accountability. Efforts to punish such work through citizenship deprivation or punitive lawsuits undermine freedom of expression and press freedom.

International scrutiny of reported crimes is not an attack on a state's reputation. Accountability requires protecting those who bring evidence to light, not punishing them for doing so.

Applicable Legal Framework

Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) protects the right to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through journalism, art and other forms of expression. Restrictions must be lawful, necessary and proportionate.

Article 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights protects the right to nationality and prohibits arbitrary deprivation of nationality. Citizenship cannot lawfully be transformed into a tool for punishing protected expression.

The proposed measures must therefore be withdrawn, and any restrictions on expression must comply with international standards of legality, necessity and proportionality.

Demands Aligned with International Human Rights Principles

Women Journalists Without Chains

Geneva, Switzerland — September 20, 2026