Story perspectives

Minister to seek citizenship revocation over Venice-winning “NAZA” filmmakers

By Drooid · Sep 14, 2026, 3:19 PM UTC · How we work

Center

IDF rejects film

Culture Minister Miki Zohar said will seek to revoke citizenship of filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor after film NAZA won Venice’s Jury Prize.
Israeli law mandates interior-minister approval and court review for citizenship revocation, meaning Zohar cannot act unilaterally.
NAZA, an 80-minute film, features interviews with 24 Israeli soldiers and intelligence officers about Gaza surveillance.
Israel Defense Forces rejected the film’s claims, labeling anonymous testimonies unverifiable and beyond personnel’s knowledge.

Left

Lavender AI targeting

Minister Miki Zohar said he will seek to revoke citizenship of filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor after documentary NAZA won Venice’s Jury Prize.
Coverage highlights the film’s exposure of Israel’s AI-driven killings in Gaza and raises concerns about free expression and state accountability.
The documentary reveals an AI system “Lavender” used to target Gaza civilians.
Itamar Ben-Gvir called the filmmakers “despicable,” and Israeli military dismissed film’s claims as unverified.

Blindspot

The documentary NAZA alleges that Israel uses an artificial-intelligence system called “Lavender” to conduct mass killings of Gaza civilians, as asserted by the filmmakers.
Within this story's sources, this angle appears mainly in Left-leaning coverage and receives less attention in Center-leaning coverage.

History

Historical Context

Israel’s 1975 Citizenship Law Amendment, pushed by Prime Minister Golda Meir and Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin, authorized stripping nationality from 31 alleged disloyal citizens. The same legislative tool now resurfaces as Minister Miki Zohar seeks to revoke filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor’s citizenship, echoing the U.S. Jackson-Vanik amendment of 1975 that linked trade rights to emigration freedoms.

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IDF rejects film

Culture Minister Miki Zohar said will seek to revoke citizenship of filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor after film NAZA won Venice’s Jury Prize.
Israeli law mandates interior-minister approval and court review for citizenship revocation, meaning Zohar cannot act unilaterally.
NAZA, an 80-minute film, features interviews with 24 Israeli soldiers and intelligence officers about Gaza surveillance.
Israel Defense Forces rejected the film’s claims, labeling anonymous testimonies unverifiable and beyond personnel’s knowledge.

1 / 4