Netanyahu Seeks Criminal Probe of Soldiers Who Spoke in NAZA Film

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants the soldiers who spoke anonymously in the documentary NAZA found and prosecuted, PTTL reports. On Sunday, October 11, he wrote to IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, Shin Bet Director David Zini and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. He demanded that the soldiers and officers who took part in the film be identified and charged with serious information security offences, criminal defamation and harm to Israel's diplomatic and security interests.

According to PTTL, the letter alleges that highly classified information may have been disclosed and that the security of a sensitive intelligence unit may have been compromised. As of October 12, no charges against the witnesses had been confirmed, PTTL reports. The demand follows earlier steps by the government. Culture Minister Miki Zohar had asked that the possibility of stripping the filmmakers of their citizenship be examined, and Netanyahu had announced legislation aimed at people who defame Israeli soldiers, according to PTTL.

The film was made with The Guardian and co-directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, The Jerusalem Post reports. It uses anonymous interviews with military and intelligence personnel about the IDF's targeting practices and its use of artificial intelligence tools in Gaza. The title comes from a Hebrew military acronym for anticipated civilian casualties, or collateral damage, according to the Post. PTTL reports the 80-minute documentary brings together accounts from 24 Israeli military and intelligence personnel, was produced by the Guardian and JW Films, and won the Special Jury Prize at the 83rd Venice Film Festival on September 12. The interviews were filmed at night on Tel Aviv rooftops with the participants' identities protected, PTTL reports, and free online access through the Guardian has been announced for late November.

In the United States, the Israeli American Council has rallied pro-Israel activists to theaters across the country to protest the film's screenings this past week, The Jerusalem Post reports. On Friday, activists gathered outside the Laemmle NoHo 7 theater in North Hollywood while NAZA played inside. "Our message is clear: Wherever lies are told about Israel, we will show up with the truth," said Aya Shechter, the council's chief operating officer and one of the rally's leaders, according to the Post.

The film has also drawn an answer from inside Israel's film community. A group of Israeli filmmakers, including Roi Danino, Ariel Averbuch and Hagay Gutman, produced a counter-documentary called NAZA: The Real Story, The Jerusalem Post reports. It challenges the film's allegations through interviews with IDF combatants and commanders.