‘Treason’: Israeli culture minister says will strip award-winning Gaza documentary directors of their citizenship

JERUSALEM, September 14 — Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar has called for the revocation of citizenship for the directors of an award-winning Gaza documentary, accusing them of "treason against the state". The documentary, titled NAZA, was made by Israeli directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, and won a special jury prize at the Venice Film Festival.

The film features interviews with 24 Israeli military or intelligence whistleblowers who spoke out about AI-powered targeting systems used to bomb Gaza, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians. Zohar accused the directors of potentially harming their homeland for the sake of receiving praise from antisemites worldwide, and vowed to take immediate action to revoke their Israeli citizenship on social media platform X. Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also expressed disgust at the directors, stating that they are an embarrassment to the people of Israel and that they should leave the country.

The revocation of nationality is a legally possible option in Israel, although it is rarely exercised. In 2022, the Supreme Court ruled that the state can strip people of their citizenship if they have shown a lack of loyalty, such as committing espionage or treason. The law was further expanded in 2023 to include terrorism convictions.

The Israeli military has criticized the use of anonymous testimonies in the documentary, stating that the identities of the whistleblowers cannot be verified. Israel denies deliberately targeting civilians with its military operations in Gaza. In October 2023, Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an attack on Israel, killing 1,221 people and taking 251 hostages.

Israel's retaliatory military campaign in Gaza has since killed more than 73,000 people, according to the territory's health ministry, which operates under Hamas authority and figures recognized by the United Nations.