Above photo: Oded Balilty/AP.
Tel Aviv is mobilizing its resources to provide legal aid.
And smuggle soldiers out of countries where they are being investigated for war crimes committed in Gaza.
Pro-Palestine organizations have filed at least 50 criminal complaints in courts around the world targeting Israeli soldiers for their role in Tel Aviv’s ethnic cleansing campaign in Gaza, according to reports in Hebrew media.
“About 50 complaints have been filed against reserve soldiers, 10 of which have been investigated without any arrests recorded so far,” Israeli Broadcasting Corporation (KAN) reported on 6 January.
Hours after the news was broadcast, Israeli news outlet Yedioth Ahronoth revealed that the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) filed a new complaint against an Israeli soldier vacationing in Thailand. “The Palestinian foundation was looking for legal representation to represent it in complaints of war crimes in Thailand’s courts,” the Israeli daily reports.
According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, authorities are aware “of at least 12 cases” in which complaints have been filed against Israeli soldiers on leave after serving in Gaza. “Such complaints have been filed in Brazil, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Belgium, the Netherlands, Serbia, Ireland, and Cyprus,” Israeli media reported, with other statements adding South Africa, Morocco, and France to the list.
“A joint task force of the Military Advocate General’s Corps, the Foreign Ministry, the National Security Council, and the Shin Bet is now analyzing risks to soldiers in various countries and monitoring potential investigations,” Haaretz reported on Sunday, adding that Tel Aviv is “coordinating with local law firms to provide immediate legal aid if necessary.”
Over the weekend, a federal court in Brazil ordered the police to open an immediate investigation into an Israeli soldier vacationing in the country. Soon after, Israeli officials helped the soldier flee to neighboring Argentina, where the far-right government has expressed complete support for the Israeli genocide.
Yedioth Ahronoth says other soldiers have been “smuggled under the radar from at least five countries” in recent weeks.
Human Rights Foundation (HRF), a Belgium-based NGO, is leading the efforts against the soldiers, providing local courts and prosecutors with thousands of photos and videos from the soldiers’ own social media accounts in which they are seen actively participating in war crimes and crimes against humanity.
“Israeli soldiers publish nearly one million posts every day on social media platforms that document their involvement in war crimes in Gaza,” KAN reported, citing the army’s information security department.
“The main problem is the fact that IDF soldiers post incriminating videos on social media, in which they record themselves carrying out activities in Gaza and Lebanon. The soldiers also post their travel plans on their platforms. [HRF] collects the videos, verifies them with additional data, and contacts governments when those soldiers travel abroad according to their social media,” Yedioth Ahronoth reports.