Prime Minister Netanyahus Party Loses Court Challenge Against Former PM Naftali Bennett
A Jerusalem court rejected Netanyahu's Likud party bid to remove an ad by Naftali Bennett featuring retired police chief Ami Eshed.
Jerusalem, 10 May, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party’s petition against former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett for publishing a photo of retired police chief Ami Eshed was rejected by the court.
The petition dealt with an advertisement on social media presenting the appointment of (retired) Commissioner Ami Eshed to a position in the party’s election headquarters.
The petition was filed following a publication by Mr. Naftali Bennett, who is once again running for office, in which he announced the appointment of (retired) Commissioner Ami Eshed to the position of responsible for election integrity on behalf of his party. The publication was accompanied by a photo of Mr. Eshed from his time serving in the police force, wearing a uniform and saluting.
The Likud Party claimed that this was an unlawful use of public assets (the reputation of a senior officer, the police uniform, and the organization’s professional image) for election propaganda purposes, in violation of Section 2A of the Elections Law (Methods of Propaganda). The petitioner requested that the ad be removed and that the respondents be fined.
The judge ruled that since no defect was found in the use of the image, there was no reason to interfere with the candidates’ freedom of political expression.
The Likud Party was ordered to pay expenses to Mr. Bennett and his party in the amount of 10,000 Shekels ($3,450).
