Israel gears up to combat lawfare against IDF soldiers abroad

As many as 50 police complaints have been filed, including the one in Brazil where a reservist fled before he was arrested.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

An inter-ministry desk has been formed to analyze and combat the danger of legal action against IDF soldiers traveling in foreign countries, Haaretz reported Sunday.

The report came after a Brazilian court ordered police Friday to launch an investigation into war crimes allegations against an Israeli tourist for his actions in the Gaza Strip as an IDF soldier.

The Israeli foreign ministry warned the soldier about the arrest warrant and he managed to leave the country safely.

The joint team from the Military Attorney General’s Office, Foreign Ministry, IDF and the Shin Bet internal security service examines the risk to soldiers abroad of having such investigations opened against them, based on complaints filed by pro-Palestinian groups.

These groups methodically comb through social media to find posts, videos and pictures that soldiers upload depicting their combat service, in order to use them to accuse the fighters of committing war crimes in Gaza.

At least twelve complaints have been filed already, besides the one in Brazil, Channel 12 reported Sunday, in such countries as Belgium, Cyprus, Ireland, the Netherlands, Serbia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Haaretz’s list included France and South Africa.

Channel 11 reported that since the beginning of the war, about 50 complaints have been filed against reservists, with 10 being investigated.

Israeli officials are reportedly working hard with their foreign counterparts to limit the legal action. In most countries there is no current danger of mass arrests, the outlet said, and no official guidelines have been issued yet prohibiting travel to specific places.

If an arrest does occur, the government is preparing to work with local law firms to assist the soldier immediately, Haaretz reported.

Israeli officials have also warned travelers to reconsider their trips when they felt they were especially vulnerable, either because they were also citizens of the countries they were going to visit, or if intelligence was received regarding a specific person.

Those most at risk would likely be reservists, as the IDF cannot control their visits abroad as they can the movements of conscripts and standing army personnel.

The legal danger posed by posting online statements in favor of the war or clips of destroying Hamas-linked buildings in Gaza is a self-inflicted one that both the Foreign Ministry and IDF have warned against.

The army seems to have little control over the phenomenon, even though a blanket directive has been given to reduce the soldiers’ social media presence.

Channel 11 reported that data from the IDF’s Information Security Directorate reveals that IDF service members upload about a million items to social media every day.