Dim Amor

MK Tali Gotliv published a scathing post yesterday on X network, calling on the Interior Minister to act to revoke the citizenship of physicist Shikma Bressler and "her ilk", claiming they violate their duty of loyalty to the state. Gotliv's post comes against the backdrop of Bressler's extremist statements against the government, which Gotliv defined as "dangerous incitement".

"It is imperative to revoke the citizenship of Shikma Bressler and her kind. And this is entirely possible. The Interior Minister must act immediately to cancel the citizenship of Bressler and her traitorous companions", wrote Gotliv in a post that gained wide resonance on social media. According to the Likud MK, Bressler "published today that the government is a jihadist dictatorship", while emphasizing the severity of the accusation: "You read correctly. To accuse the government of jihad and essentially the majority of the people who support it, this is a serious act of breach of trust that grants the Interior Minister authority to act for citizenship revocation".

Gotliv, who has served in the Knesset for almost three years, continues to be one of the prominent and provocative figures in Likud. She did not settle for calling for action against Bressler, but expanded her attack: "By the way, she is not alone. There are several others who violate their duty of loyalty to the state. If Miyara does not put them on trial for sedition, dangerous incitement, calls for refusal to serve, and aiding the enemy during wartime, there is no choice but other solutions to deal with those who brutally harm the state's resilience, democracy, and governmental order".

MK Gotliv based her argument on Section 11(2) of the Citizenship Law, emphasizing that the legal framework exists: "As written in the Citizenship Law – one who breaches trust, the Interior Minister may approach the court and petition for revocation of his citizenship". She concluded the post with a decisive statement: "Fed up with enemies from within and those who aid the enemy during wartime".

Shikma Bressler-Schwarzman, an Israeli physicist and associate professor at the Weizmann Institute of Science who participates in particle accelerator research in Switzerland, has become in recent years one of the central figures in the protest against judicial reform. She was among the initiators of the black flags protest and one of the protest leaders, while voicing harsh criticism of the government. Her radical positions and extremist statements have repeatedly brought her to the center of public storm.

Although Bressler did not respond directly to Gotliv's post, she chose to share a post by MK Vladimir Beliak from Yesh Atid, who leveled sharp criticism at Gotliv. "Tali Gotliv has been in the Knesset for almost three years. In the plenum as in committees – screaming, provoking and causing riots. The essence of her existence", wrote Beliak, a member of the Finance Committee. "No significant legislative initiative, no parliamentary move worthy of mention. You won't find a single person she has helped with anything".

Beliak continued the attack: "Now she proposes to revoke citizenship from Israelis who criticize the government, like in any fascist regime. Another example of what a garbage dump Likud has become in 2025". Bressler's sharing of Beliak's post is perceived as an indirect response to Gotliv's attack on her.

The controversy illustrates the depth of the rift in Israeli society: on one hand, protest activists like Bressler continue to voice sharp criticism of the government and use harsh terms; on the other hand, Knesset members like Gotliv demand taking drastic steps against critics of the government. The call for citizenship revocation places on the agenda fundamental questions regarding the boundaries of freedom of expression and criticism in a democratic regime.

Gotliv, who has become one of the figures identified with the hard line in Likud, continues to position herself as a defender of the state's honor and its institutions against what she sees as a system of incitement and internal subversion. In contrast, Bressler and her protest colleagues see themselves as defenders of democracy and rule of law against what they define as a brutal takeover by the right of governmental institutions.

The affair illustrates the growing tension between freedom of expression and public responsibility, with each side accusing its rival of crossing legitimate boundaries.

Gotliv's supporters see her words as a legitimate means of defending the state against elements perceived by them as a threat to its stability, while her critics argue that this is a fascist attempt to silence any criticism of the government.

The central question arising from the affair is how far Israeli society is willing to tolerate extreme criticism of the government, and what are the appropriate democratic tools for dealing with incitement and harsh statements.

Gotliv's call for citizenship revocation poses a weighty legal and moral challenge to the judicial system and society as a whole.

In light of the continuation of demonstrations and the erosion of public consensus, the sense of political polarization is sharpening, with both camps radicalizing their positions toward each other.

The affair demonstrates how public discourse in Israel has become an arena of struggle almost devoid of rules, where words serve as weapons and criticism quickly rolls into personal hostility.

Perhaps the time has come to reexamine the possibility of revoking citizenship from those perceived as traitors to the state. But who is that "traitor"? And what will happen if tomorrow a left-wing government rises to power – will the citizenship of right-wing people be revoked? The question is not only political, but legal and principled of the highest order.

Photograph of Knesset member Tali Gotliv from the Knesset website, and photograph of Ms. Bressler from her official Facebook page – use in accordance with Section 27a of the Copyright Law