Israeli culture minister wants to revoke the citizenship of directors of the Gaza documentary “Naza”.

Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar wants to revoke the citizenship of the two award-winning directors of the Gaza documentary "Naza." Zohar accused filmmaker Rachel Szor and her colleague Yuval Abraham of "betrayal of the state" of Israel on the online service X on Sunday. They are prepared to "harm their homeland in order to receive applause from anti-Semites around the world." He will therefore “take immediate action” to revoke Szor and Abraham’s Israeli citizenship.

“Naza” was awarded the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday. The documentary received a 25-minute standing ovation at its premiere in Venice and was also highly praised by critics. In "Naza," Israeli military representatives and secret service agents report anonymously how the Israeli army killed Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip.

Withdrawal of citizenship possible since 2022

Israel's right-wing extremist Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also sharply attacked the two filmmakers. »You are a disgrace and an embarrassment to the entire Israeli people. Go away!” he wrote on X.

Revocation of citizenship is legally possible in Israel, but is rarely used. The Supreme Court confirmed in 2022 that such a step was possible if the accused had broken their “loyalty” to the state through espionage or treason. In 2023, the corresponding law was expanded to include “terror” crimes. A withdrawal of citizenship must therefore be requested by the Minister of the Interior, approved by the Minister of Justice and finally confirmed by a judge.

The Islamist Hamas and its allies killed more than 1,200 people in their major attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and 251 were kidnapped as hostages in the Gaza Strip. Israel responded with massive attacks in the Gaza Strip, killing more than 73,000 people, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry.