The Israeli news site Ynet has published a guide for Israeli soldiers to help them avoid arrest for potential war crimes while traveling abroad.
The guide comes after an Israeli soldier visiting Brazil fled the country over an order from a Brazilian court to investigate him for potential war crimes based on social media posts that showed the destruction of Palestinian homes.
The Hind Rajab Foundation, named after a five-year-old girl killed by the IDF in Gaza, said the soldier had participated in “massive demolitions of civilian homes in Gaza during a systematic campaign of destruction.”
Israeli soldiers have been documenting war crimes in posts on social media, a practice the Israeli government is now advising against following the incident in Brazil. Israeli media has reported that pro-Palestinian organizations have filed 50 complaints in courts around the world against Israeli soldiers.
The guide from Ynet, which quoted Nick Kaufmann, a defense lawyer at the International Criminal Court (ICC), also advised Israeli soldiers not to post as much on social media.
“Soldiers should avoid posting photos or videos from their service, especially content showing destroyed buildings, even if there’s a military justification,” Kaufmann said.
“Such posts violate operational security and could harm Israel’s image. Some countries might treat seemingly minor content, such as racist songs, as incitement to genocide,” Kaufmann added.
He said the problem for Israeli soldiers was countries that have adopted the principle of “universal jurisdiction,” which allows the arrest, investigation, and potential prosecution of people accused of war crimes or other human rights violations in other countries.
“The list of countries applying universal jurisdiction changes over time. Even friendly nations like the UK, France, and Spain have applied it in the past,” Kaufman said.
Kaufman warned that the problem could get worse for Israeli soldiers after the conflict is over if foreign journalists are allowed into Gaza. “The threat may not diminish and could even intensify as Gaza opens to human rights groups and foreign journalists,” he said.
Seems the published guide should just cut to the chase and simply say, “Don’t worry, whatever you do we’ll get you out.”
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