Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced a dramatic legislative push aimed squarely at silencing critics of the military. In a video statement, Netanyahu unveiled two proposed bills, one that would revoke the citizenship of anyone found to defame IDF soldiers, and another that would multiply defamation damages twentyfold for the same offense. We will revoke the citizenship of those who defame IDF soldiers, and we will hit them financially, Netanyahu declared, adding that the time has come to deal with this. The move follows weeks of fury over the documentary NAZA, made by Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, along with remarks from opposition leader Yair Golan and a video released by the former military advocate general, all of which Netanyahu accused of undermining the army.

Netanyahu did not mince words about who the legislation is meant for, saying flatly that critics have no place among Israelis and calling on every Knesset faction that claims to support the Zionist cause to back both bills. The announcement lands amid an already bitter national fight over the war in Gaza, with the NAZA documentary drawing praise on the international festival circuit even as Israeli officials brand it an act of treason. Rights groups and filmmakers have pushed back hard, warning that the citizenship threats amount to intimidation rather than accountability, while reports have emerged of hostile crowds gathering outside the homes of those targeted. With the proposals now heading toward the Knesset, the fight over free speech, military loyalty, and the limits of dissent in wartime Israel is only just beginning.