Israeli culture minister demands citizenship be stripped from filmmakers honored at Venice

Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar has publicly called for stripping Israeli citizenship from two filmmakers, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, whose documentary "NAZA" was recently awarded a prize at the Venice Film Festival.

The minister's accusation

Zohar based his demand on the claim that the filmmakers' actions amount to treason against the state. The minister did not provide further explanation of what specifically he considers to constitute treason, though the call is directly tied to the film's international recognition and award at the prestigious festival.

Context

The Venice Film Festival is one of the most significant international film events, where winning an award draws broad international attention. A demand to revoke citizenship from creative professionals over international recognition of their artistic work has become a subject of sharp political debate, touching on questions of freedom of speech and artistic expression.