Israel’s Ben-Gvir shares AI videos mocking Gazans as ‘donkeys’ and sending them to Paris

Israel’s far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is using AI-generated videos to mock Palestinians and push political messages ahead of the country’s election, including videos magically transporting Gazans to Paris or calling them "donkeys" for choosing to stay. One video has sparked an online spat with France. AI is playing a growing role in the campaign, with parties using deepfakes, bots and AI-generated content, raising concerns about disinformation and the technology’s influence on voters.

With Israel’s general election looming, several Israeli politicians have been using AI-generated content as campaign videos. Among them is far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has recently shared AI-generated videos mocking Palestinians in Gaza and depicting a fictional journey transporting a Gazan to Paris.

One video portrays Gaza in 2030 as a ghost town, with homes, schools and infrastructure destroyed. A donkey then appears alongside a message from Ben-Gvir’s party: “You’d have to be a donkey to stay in Gaza.”

The video appears to reference Ben-Gvir’s so-called “voluntary emigration” plan, which advocates encouraging Palestinians to leave the enclave and move abroad.

Another AI-generated video shows an elderly Palestinian man sitting among rubble, wearing a traditional keffiyeh. After rubbing a magic lamp, he summons Ben-Gvir and asks for help leaving Gaza. The man is then transported to Paris, where Ben-Gvir tells him: “Here, you’ll feel right at home.”

The video comes amid comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about protests in France. Netanyahu claimed that Muslim migrants were responsible for unrest in the country and warned that, if Israel did not stop Hamas in Gaza, “you’ll see them on the streets of Paris”.

The claims linking the French protests to Muslim migrants have no substantiated evidence, and have previously been examined by Truth or Fake on FRANCE 24.

A public spat with France

Ben-Gvir’s Paris video prompted a response from the French Foreign Ministry, which addressed him through its official “French Response” account on X.

“Imagine having a magic lamp and wasting your wish on Ben-Gvir. Even magic can’t lift his ban from entering France,” the ministry wrote. The message referred to France’s decision to bar Ben-Gvir from entering the country last May, following his treatment of activists aboard a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. 

Ben-Gvir responded with another AI-generated video, in which he speaks French and accuses France of welcoming the consequences of its support for a Palestinian state.The video includes an AI-generated image of a devastated Paris, with Palestinian flags across the city and a keffiyeh draped over the Eiffel Tower.

The exchange comes amid a wider wave of misleading and AI-generated imagery attempting to connect unrest in France with immigration, Muslims and Palestine, despite the protests having domestic political and social causes.

AI reshapes Israel’s election campaign

Ben-Gvir’s videos are part of a broader trend in Israeli politics, where AI-generated content is playing an increasingly prominent role ahead of the election.

Political analysts have described the upcoming vote as the first “AI-driven election”, with major parties using the technology in a variety of ways.

An analysis by Deutsche Welle’s fact-checking team found that leading Israeli political parties had incorporated AI into their campaigns. Posts by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party used AI in a quarter of the content analysed.

Israel’s Election Commission requires AI-generated or AI-modified campaign content to be labelled, though aside from that, there's not much regulation regarding AI's use in the election race.

However, concerns extend beyond the use of synthetic images and videos. AI-powered robocalls have also been used to contact voters and ask about their voting preferences, offering a cheaper and more conversational alternative to traditional automated messages. Meanwhile, networks of bots and fake accounts have been found amplifying the campaigns of Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir.

The technology could also influence how voters make their decisions. According to figures cited in DW's reporting, around a quarter of Israelis say they intend to turn to AI for help deciding how to vote, raising questions about how chatbots generate political responses and whether online campaigning can influence their answers. DW's analysis found that Israeli government promotional material was already being published online with the stated aim of influencing how AI chatbots respond.