Israel Election Committee Orders Removal of Smotrich AI Video Featuring Eizankot and Palestinian Leader

Israel's Central Election Committee ruled that a 20‑second video posted by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich must be removed from all social‑media accounts. The video combined a real interview clip with Benjamin Netanyahu and a computer‑generated segment that showed Gadi Eizankot, leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, shaking hands with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and a Knesset member. The committee concluded the deep‑fake creates a misleading impression of political cooperation, violating Section 13 of the 1959 Election Law on unfair election propaganda. Smotrich said he would delete the video but claimed the truth remains, while the committee also ordered him to pay the plaintiffs' legal costs.

The decision follows a petition by the "Voters in Israel" association and the Yisrael Beiteinu party, which argued the AI‑generated content could unfairly influence voters. The committee found the added disclaimer insufficient because most viewers would not see it on mobile devices. The fine and removal order underscore growing concerns over artificial‑intelligence manipulation in political campaigns.