Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has come under fire for sending out official photos in which his wife Sara’s image has been heavily retouched, some of them altered using AI technology, distorting the historical record and seemingly breaching important ethical guidelines.

In recent weeks, the manipulated pictures distributed by the Prime Minister’s Office have had Sara Netanyahu listed as a credited photographer, despite her being the subject of the photos.

The unusual credit, according to a source, was part of a compromise following complaints from Government Press Office photographers, who objected to distributing official state photos that had been edited on behalf of the premier’s wife.

The decision comes after months of scrutiny over images of Sara Netanyahu, 67, that were heavily retouched to make her appear much younger, exposing the GPO to criticism for manipulating photos, including some that captured historic moments.

An unnamed source with knowledge of the matter said that the PMO decided to credit Sara Netanyahu on the edited photos as a compromise to signal that the images were edited on her behalf without directly acknowledging so.

Ethical guidelines regarding official photos generally prohibit any manipulation that alters the content beyond minor color or brightness corrections. Changes of the type found in recent PMO photos are largely seen as undermining the credibility of Israel’s photographic record.

Some news organizations, including The Times of Israel, have halted the use of photos that........

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