Controversy Erupts: Retouched Photos of Israel’s First Lady Spark Ethical Dilemma

JERUSALEM – Photos capturing seemingly significant moments for Israel’s historical archives have surfaced, raising eyebrows for an unexpected reason.

In these images, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands alongside his wife, Sara, with U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee and a group of Israeli soldiers, as they gather to light Hanukkah candles at the revered Western Wall, a sacred prayer site for Jews. The leaders share looks of triumph, embodying a moment of celebration.

However, a closer inspection reveals something peculiar.

Sara Netanyahu’s appearance is notably altered, with her skin appearing flawless, eyes sharply defined, and hair impeccably styled — all due to extensive photo retouching, as acknowledged by officials.

While photo-editing is a staple on celebrities’ and public figures’ social media, critics argue that its use in official government images is problematic. They assert that such practices distort reality, breach ethical standards, and could undermine the integrity of official archival records.

“Since the founding of the state, all images in Israel’s archives have been authentic captures of reality through photographers’ lenses,” stated Shabi Gatenio, the seasoned political journalist who reported the story for The Seventh Eye, an Israeli media outlet. “Inserting these altered images into the archives would permanently taint them with a fictitious reality that never truly existed.”

Since the manipulation of images was revealed, the government has taken the unprecedented step of crediting Sara Netanyahu in its releases that include manipulated images. And it’s not clear if official archive will include images of her taken during the second half of last year, when Gatenio said the editing appears to have begun.

The first lady’s personal spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

Nitzan Chen, director of the Government Press Office, told The Associated Press that images of the prime minister are never manipulated and that his office would not upload any retouched photos to the official archive.

Personal Photoshop habit enters political realm

Sara Netanyahu, 67, has long used photo-editing software on her images. Her social media account is filled with images in which her face appears heavily retouched.

But the topic raised eyebrows since her Photoshop habit entered the public record.

Gatenio said he first noticed this last July, when the couple visited President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., and again in September, as Sara Netanyahu joined her husband on the tarmac ahead of a trip to New York for the U.N. General Assembly.

At the time, the prime minister’s office released a video of the send-off along with a photo, credited to Avi Ohayon, an official government photographer.

Comparing the photo to the raw video, Hany Farid, a digital forensics expert at the University of California, Berkeley, said the image had been post-processed, bearing local manipulations to smooth the first lady’s skin and remove wrinkles.

Since then, photos showing the first lady meeting with Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha, in Washington also appear to have been retouched, Farid said.

“There’s been some Photoshop editing to — let’s call it — ‘beautify,’ lighten, smooth the face,” Farid said.

“Is it nefarious? No. Is it a problem? Yes. This is about something bigger than, ‘she Photoshopped her face to make herself look younger.’ This is about trust. Why should I trust any official photo coming out of that administration?”

Chen, the head of the Government Press Office, said office lawyers are trying to determine how to handle and properly identify photos “processed by people other than GPO photographers.”

He said the Justice Ministry is also examining the “criteria, limitations and possibilities” of the edited images, though he stressed there is nothing illegal about touching up photos. The issue, he said, is being transparent when such changes are made.

For now, his office has decided to add Sara Netanyahu’s name to press releases that include retouched images. Since November, press releases showing photos of her smiling next to Trump and the family of the last hostage in Gaza in Washington, visiting a Miami synagogue and attending a funeral for an Israeli mayor have included this label.

At least one outlet, the Times of Israel, has said it will no longer carry official state photos that appear to have been manipulated. The Associated Press does not publish images that appear to have been retouched or digitally manipulated.

A broader phenomenon

Chen said the prime minister is never edited: “No Photoshop, no corrections, no color. Nothing.”

While his face may not be retouched, the prime minister’s official Instagram account tells another story.

The page has posted a bevy of content that appears to be AI-edited or generated, including a picture of the couple with Trump and first lady Melania Trump celebrating the new year in Washington.

The photo raised suspicions in Israel because it shows Sara Netanyahu wearing a black dress absent from other photos of the event, where she wore a dark red frock. Appearing in the sky above the couples are brightly colored fireworks and American and Israeli flags that Farid said were “almost certainly” generated by AI.

It is now marked with a tag on Instagram indicating that it may have been altered or generated using AI. It is not clear when the tag was added nor by whom.

Netanyahu is not alone. Many world figures, including Trump, use AI-generated image manipulation frequently in their public output.

Tehilla Shwartz Altshuler, who runs the “Democracy in the Digital Age Program,” at the Israel Democracy Institute, a Jerusalem think tank, called it “part of the populist playbook” and said there was “no question” that Netanyahu was emulating how Trump uses the technology.

Netanyahu’s official Instagram has posted video of Trump and Netanyahu in a B-2 bomber that appears entirely AI-generated. It is captioned “on our victory lap,” referencing the joint Israel-U.S. attacks on Iran last year.

“This is exactly what Netanyahu and his surrounding circle have tried to do for many years,” she said. “Presenting himself as a superhero, his wife as a supermodel, their family as a super loyal family. Even when it wasn’t the case, even at the expense of actual political work, administrative work and social work.”

She said Israel has reached a critical point in official government record-keeping and communications.

“The question of archiving the truth, archiving history, will be one of the questions of our time.”