All articles tagged with #citizenship revocation
Ahead of Israel’s October elections, the NAZA documentary on Gaza provokes an unprecedented domestic backlash, with leaders labeling the filmmakers traitors, proposing citizenship revocation and probes, while critics argue the media underreports Gaza’s humanitarian toll and censors dissent.
The Venice premiere of NAZA, an Israeli documentary about killings in Gaza, earned international praise with a lengthy standing ovation and a Special Jury Prize, but provoked a domestic firestorm in Israel. The military questioned the film as “blood libels” and “deliberate distortions,” while Culture Minister Miki Zohar floated the possibility of stripping the directors of Israeli citizenship for allegedly betraying the state.
Israel’s culture minister Miki Zohar called for revoking the citizenship of NAZA’s Oscar-winning directors after their Gaza-focused documentary, which features whistleblowers alleging AI-powered targeting and civilian deaths. He accused them of treason and vowed to act, a stance echoed by other ministers. The move is grounded in a legal framework that allows revocation for loyalty or terrorism, though such actions are rare and require approval from interior and justice ministers and the courts. The film, which won a Venice special jury prize, has drawn pushback from the Israeli military over anonymous testimony, amid the ongoing Gaza conflict and high civilian casualties.
British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd El Fattah apologized for old tweets that resurfaced, leading to calls for his deportation and citizenship revocation in the UK, amid concerns over his past comments and social media activity. The UK government is reviewing his case, but legal and constitutional hurdles make revocation unlikely.