The Knesset on Wednesday approved legislation banning the filming of IDF soldiers in a preliminary vote, with 45 coalition lawmakers voting in favor of the bill and 42 opposition members voting against.
According to the wording of the draft bill, introduced by Yisrael Beytenu MK Robert Ilatov and a number of other lawmakers, "filming, photographing, recording or distributing photographic or recorded content, in which soldiers are documented performing their duties, with the intention of undermining the spirit of the soldiers or residents, is a criminal offense. If intent to harm Israel's security is established, the penalty is doubled."
The abstract of the bill states that "the documentation usually interferes with the soldiers' ability to perform routine and operational activities and is often accompanied by accusations and insults yelled directly into their faces. As mentioned, the documentation is biased and edited in a one-sided manner with the sole aim of demoralizing IDF soldiers and Israeli residents."
Ilatov said the legislation aimed to "put an end to the unacceptable phenomenon of interfering with IDF duties and attempts to disgrace them [soldiers] in the media."
Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and Ilatov agreed that the bill would only be advanced in coordination with the Justice Ministry. As a result, significant changes will likely be made to the wording of the bill during the course of the legislative process.
Matan Peleg, head of the right-wing Im Tirtzu organization, welcomed the preliminary approval of the bill.
"There is a huge difference between legitimate journalistic documentation and activity in which anarchists and anti-Israel activists use a camera as a tool through which they can disturb our soldiers without being removed from the field."
Members of the opposition spoke out against the proposed legislation.
Meretz Chairwoman Tamar Zandberg called the bill "another populist law sponsored by the government, a stupid law that doesn't recognize that we are in 2018, and bans filming. The entire point of the legislation is to incite against human rights organizations and challenge the fundamental principles of Israeli democracy."
Joint Arab List MK Yousef Jabareen called the bill "absurd and draconian, a product of the government of occupation and settlements."
