Netanyahu demands that the participants in NAZA be investigated and put on trial
Benjamin NetanyahuPrime Minister of Israel, in a post on his X account
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was demanding that the IDF chief of staff, the Shin Bet director and the attorney general open a comprehensive investigation against the people who took part in NAZA and prosecute them for information-security offenses, criminal defamation and harm to Israel's diplomatic and security interests.
“I demand that the Chief of Staff, the head of the Shin Bet and the Attorney General open a comprehensive investigation against the participants in the film "NAZA" and put them on trial for serious information-security offenses, criminal defamation and harm to Israel's diplomatic and security interests. (Translated from Hebrew. Original: אני דורש מהרמטכ״ל, מראש השב״כ ומהיועמ״שית לפתוח בחקירה מקיפה כנגד המשתתפים בסרט ״נז״א״ ולהעמיד אותם לדין בגין עבירות ביטחון מידע חמורות, הוצאת דיבה פלילית ופגיעה באינטרסים מדיניים וביטחוניים של ישראל.)”
Original post
Original post
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Should Israel investigate and prosecute those who took part in the film NAZA?
On October 11, 2026, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote to IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, Shin Bet Director David Zini and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara demanding that they act urgently to identify everyone involved in or appearing in the documentary NAZA, open a criminal investigation for information-security offenses, criminal defamation and harm to Israel's diplomatic and security interests, and put those involved on trial. The film, directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, presents testimony from 24 soldiers of the IDF's Unit 8200 intelligence unit about the military's conduct in the Gaza war, and won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival in September. Netanyahu called it false and defamatory. In September, Zamir ordered military lawyers to examine legal measures against those involved, and the Committee to Protect Journalists called on Israeli authorities to end threats of legal action against the filmmakers. The dispute is over whether Israel should investigate and prosecute the people who made the film or spoke in it.
Source and context
Original post
About this source
Post in Hebrew on Netanyahu's own X account, published shortly after his office released his letter to the IDF chief of staff, the Shin Bet director and the attorney general.
Original post
About this source
i24NEWS English posted an image of the full letter, which is in Hebrew. It is addressed to IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, Shin Bet Director David Zini and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, and says the IDF Spokesperson's 17-page response to the film is attached.
Reporting
About this source
Jerusalem Post report on the letter. It reports that the Prime Minister's Office released the letter, quotes its opening in English and describes the government's recognition of a film made to rebut NAZA.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Netanyahu posted shortly after his office released a letter, dated October 11, to IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, Shin Bet Director David Zini and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. The letter asks them to act urgently to uncover the identities of all those involved in the film and those who appear in it, and says there is concern that they exposed top-secret information from a highly sensitive intelligence unit.
After the quotation
The post goes on to call the film a false, misleading and biased narrative that defames the State of Israel and the IDF around the world and severely damages Israel's standing, and ends by saying the government will always stand with its soldiers.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case asks whether Israel should investigate and prosecute the people who made NAZA or appeared in it, as Netanyahu demanded on October 11. Netanyahu demands that the three officials investigate the film's participants and put them on trial. That supports both investigation and prosecution, so we labeled it Defended or excused. The closest competing label is Challenged characterization, since he also calls the film false; it loses because he goes beyond disputing the film's account and demands criminal proceedings.
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More from this case
Read the full caseOfer Cassif rejects Netanyahu's demand to prosecute the NAZA participants
“You, a serial pathological liar, dare to smear creators who are faithful to the truth with lies and defamation? (Translated from Hebrew. Original: אתה – שקרן פתולוגי סדרתי – מעז להכפיש יוצרים הנאמנים לאמת בשקר ודיבה?)”Read statement
CPJ says legal threats against the NAZA filmmakers are "a warning to journalists and sources"
Committee to Protect Journalists
“These threats cannot be dismissed as political rhetoric. They are a warning to journalists and sources about the potential consequences of reporting critically on powerful institutions”Read statement
IDF chief Eyal Zamir says the film must be confronted with "every tool at our disposal"
“Such an attempt must be confronted decisively, using every tool at our disposal—legal, command, and public diplomacy.”Read statement
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Netanyahu demands that the participants in NAZA be investigated and put on trial
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- https://disputeindex.com/events/5566-prime-minister-benjamin-netanyahu-said-he-was-demanding
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Netanyahu demands that the participants in NAZA be investigated and put on trial". First published: 2026-10-11. Last updated: 2026-10-11. https://disputeindex.com/events/5566-prime-minister-benjamin-netanyahu-said-he-was-demanding