New app offers legal advice for Israeli reservists traveling abroad

The app is initially geared toward Israeli reservists and teens about to enlist in the military.

By Etgar Lefkovits, JNS

A new app, named Shachpatz, or “bulletproof vest,” was launched last week to offer security tips and pro bono legal assistance to Israeli reservists traveling abroad.

The invention follows years of legal threats and arrest attempts by anti-Israel groups and NGOs against Israel Defense Forces veterans.

“When Hamas and Hezbollah realized that they could not beat us militarily, they started using lawfare against IDF soldiers as a method of intimidation and breeding fear among Israeli travelers around the world,” Israeli attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, founder and president of the Israeli legal group Shurat Hadin-Israel Law Center, told JNS on Monday.

The organization, which is behind the app, is most prominently known for its quarter-century legal fight against Palestinian terrorism.

The Hebrew-language app offers legal information, real-time travel warnings and alerts from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the IDF, emergency contact numbers, and legal representation and assistance if needed.

The app is initially geared toward Israeli reservists and teens about to enlist in the military.

Based on need, an English-language version will also be considered.

“Our soldiers are ready to sacrifice their lives for the State of Israel, so we must find every way to protect them, as well,” Darshan-Leitner said.

Several mobile apps and digital platforms have been designed to track, report, and combat antisemitism and online hate incidents globally.