Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans to introduce two Knesset bills that would allow revoking the citizenship of people who "slander IDF soldiers" abroad and raise defamation damages twentyfold. The move is directed at filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor after their documentary NAZA alleges the IDF accepted high civilian casualty thresholds during strikes. The film, which premiered at Venice to a standing ovation, features anonymous Israeli military sources claiming "NAZA" thresholds could permit up to 500 casualties in a single strike.
Netanyahu Announces Bills to Strip Citizenship From 'NAZA' Filmmakers Following Controversial Documentary
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a news conference in Jerusalem on June 15, 2026. (Credit: Ronen Zvulun/Getty Images)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he will present two bills in the Knesset aimed at filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor after their documentary NAZA accused the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) of killing thousands of Palestinian civilians.
Proposed Legislation
Netanyahu said one bill would allow the government to revoke Israeli citizenship from anyone who "slanders IDF soldiers" abroad, while a second would increase the maximum damages available in defamation suits by twentyfold. Anadolu news agency provided a translation of the prime minister's comments.
"We will stand by our heroic warriors. We will revoke citizenship from anyone who defames IDF soldiers abroad — and hit them hard in the pocket," Netanyahu wrote in a social media post.
Culture Minister Miki Zohar also condemned the film and called for the filmmakers' citizenship to be revoked.
What 'NAZA' Alleges
NAZA, directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, features interviews with roughly two dozen anonymous Israeli military and intelligence sources about the term "NAZA," which the film presents as a metric used to determine acceptable civilian casualties when planning strikes. Interviewees in the documentary claim that acceptable "NAZA" thresholds could reach as high as 500 Palestinian casualties in a single strike and describe other alleged abuses, including accounts of IDF snipers firing on civilians attempting to reach a food distribution point.
Background And Reception
Abraham and Szor previously won Academy Awards in 2025 for their documentary No Other Land, which documented the destruction of the West Bank community Masafer Yatta after the area was designated a military firing zone. That film was co-directed with Palestinian filmmakers Basel Adra and Hamdan Ballal.
NAZA premiered at the Venice Film Festival to a prolonged standing ovation and has won multiple awards, including the festival's Special Jury Prize. MK2 Films is handling international sales.
Broader Implications
The proposed measures have sparked debate about the balance between national security, accountability and freedom of expression, particularly when allegations in documentaries rely on anonymous sources. Supporters say the bills would protect soldiers from defamation abroad, while critics warn they could chill investigative filmmaking and public debate.
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