Israel Bar Association demands removal of Smotrich AI video — Jerusalem Post
The Israel Bar Association demanded that the Religious Zionism party and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich immediately remove an election video created using artificial intelligence. Association head Amit Becher warned that if the demand is not met, the organization will appeal to the Central Elections Committee, The Jerusalem Post reports.
The Bar Association’s National Council approved Becher’s proposal to send a warning letter. The council also decided to seek an official condemnation and ask the Israel Police to conduct an investigation.
What is shown in the video
The video was published on Tuesday. It depicts Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit, Supreme Court Justice Daphne Barak-Erez, and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. In the clip, civilians dressed in black clothing and reflective vests forcibly drag them away from a demonstration on the Ayalon Highway.
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Becher called the video’s message violent and inciting, as the judges and the attorney general are portrayed as enemies of the public. The letter states that this is not legitimate criticism of the judicial system, but an attempt to intimidate it, undermine public trust in the rule of law, and influence the proper conduct of the elections.
Demands and Yashar’s letter
The Bar Association demands that the video be removed from all platforms and social media, that its paid promotion and distribution be stopped, and that a written commitment be made not to republish the clip. If this does not happen, the organization plans to ask the chair of the Central Elections Committee to issue prohibitory and urgent orders regarding campaigning it considers improper.
The Yashar party sent a separate warning letter through attorney Uri Haberman. The party claims that the video creates a false impression that Amit, Barak-Erez, and Baharav-Miara participated in a political action against Smotrich, engaged in disorderly conduct, and were forcibly dragged away by police officers. Yashar believes that the clip may fall under the provision on contempt of court under Article 255 of the Criminal Code and demanded that its distribution be stopped by 3:00 p.m.
