Netanyahu pledges to enact a law to revoke the citizenship of the directors of the film “Naza,” and Vance talks about the American-Israeli discrepancy

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to enact a law requiring the revoking of citizenship for anyone who defames Israeli soldiers, in his latest threat to the Israeli directors of the documentary film “Naza,” which deals with the killing of civilians in the Gaza Strip at the hands of soldiers.

Netanyahu vowed to revoke the citizenship of anyone who participates in what he described as “defaming” army soldiers or the State of Israel anywhere in the world, stressing that they will suffer huge financial losses as well.

Netanyahu said: “With regard to the movie (Naza), which depicted Israeli army officers and soldiers as war criminals, I will now present two laws, and they are governmental laws. The first is to revoke the citizenship of those who tarnish the reputation of Israeli army soldiers.”

The second law, according to Netanyahu, is “to hit them in the pocket and raise the value of the compensation they can be sued for in defamation cases to 20 times.”

He added: “We will hit them in their pockets and in their nationality as well, because their place is not among us.”

The story of the movie “Naza”

The film "Naza" sparked angry reactions from Israeli officials, at a time when it won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival, and received a wave of applause that lasted 25 minutes when it was shown on Thursday.

In the film “Naza,” the work presents interviews with 24 anonymous Israeli intelligence officers who provide detailed insights into their operations. They were interviewed at night on rooftops in Tel Aviv.

The word “NAZA” is an abbreviation of a Hebrew phrase said to be used to calculate the number of civilians estimated to be killed in a military strike.

The film was directed by Oscar-winning Israeli journalists Yuval Abraham and Rachel Tzur, and some critics nominated it for the “Golden Lion” award for best film.

The 80-minute film shocked a large number of those who watched it, especially since those interviewed spoke of feeling like they were working in a killing “factory” or inside a deadly video game while using Israeli targeting systems supported by artificial intelligence to bomb Gaza, according to a report by Agence France-Presse.

US Vice President J.D. Vance said that President Donald Trump has an “unprecedented” record in opposing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when it comes to promoting the interests of the American people, during a speech he delivered online at a technology summit in Los Angeles, according to what the Hebrew newspaper “Jerusalem Post” reported.

Vance pointed out, during his virtual participation in the “All-In Summit” for technology, that Trump, more than any American president during the past forty years, “has shown an actual willingness to separate from Netanyahu when he feels that the interests of the American people differ from the interests of the Israeli government.”

The gap is widening

Vance's statements came as part of a series of positions he made, in which he stressed the widening gap between Israel and America, coinciding with the approaching midterm congressional elections in November, and at a time when Netanyahu's popularity in the United States declined to a low level after three years of wars in the Middle East.

Republican figures are seeking to get rid of unpopular policies and associations, amid fears that the party will lose control of Congress in the midterm elections, which will undermine Trump's agenda during the last two years of his presidential term.

Vance said: “I find it a little ironic... to see Democrats criticizing Donald Trump for his relationship with Netanyahu, when Donald Trump is the only president over the past forty years who has been willing to say: Well, yes, Bibi is a good partner, but Bibi and I also have a different opinion on this issue, or Bibi is wrong on this matter, or maybe Bibi is right from Israel’s perspective.” But the American people need us to move in a different direction.”

Vance stresses the differences between Washington and Israel

But Vance has often taken a harder line, including accusing Israel of trying to influence American public opinion about war with Iran.

Vance said on Tuesday: “Israel has been an important partner when it comes to military technology, and when it comes to sharing intelligence, but the United States does not always agree with Israel.”

Serious differences have emerged since the failure of the common goals set by the United States and Israel for the war with Iran. Among these differences is the United States’ decision to end the war with Iran without a clear plan to prevent it from continuing its path toward possessing nuclear weapons.

“We cannot allow our foreign policy in the Middle East to be subordinated to the State of Israel,” Vance said during the All-In Summit.

At a time when the repercussions of Iran's war on navigation in the Strait of Hormuz are worsening in its seventh month, US Vice President J.D. Vance said that the conflict will enter a "completely different phase" within two months, without clarifying the nature of the new phase.

His statements come in light of President Donald Trump's previous assurances that the war will end "immediately after" the midterm elections, indicating a new path of confrontation that coincides with the congressional elections next November.

Vance said, in an interview with the New York Post newspaper on board Air Force 2, that President Trump is correct in his expectation that the war will enter a “different phase” within two months, adding that the American president, as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, is the one who determines “when conflicts begin and when they end.” Vance added: “We cannot predict the future, but I think the president is right in saying that this will enter a completely different phase in a couple of months.”

The US Vice President also indicated that navigation traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has regained more than 50 percent of its normal levels, adding that the Iranian regime is gradually losing control over the Strait.

While the military and economic pressure on Iran continues, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, during his meeting with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi in Beijing yesterday, called on Tehran to open the Strait of Hormuz and work to prevent the crisis from spreading to the Red Sea.