Pro-Palestinian Turkish demonstrators holding Turkish and Palestinian flags take part in a rally to protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed Middle East peace plan, in Istanbul, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
IDF soldiers with dual citizenship face growing legal risks abroad.
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
A former IDF soldier with Israeli and Turkish citizenship was released from arrest in Turkey following American and Israeli intervention, N12 reported, after being detained under a Turkish law prohibiting citizens from serving in foreign militaries.
The woman had traveled to Turkey to visit her parents when authorities detained her based on her past service in the IDF.
She was held for several hours in a detention center before being released to house arrest.
Her detention followed a campaign that exposed the identities of multiple IDF soldiers holding Turkish citizenship.
The campaign accused them of serving in what it described as the “Zionist army” and included efforts that revealed personal details about those targeted, as well as disparaging their families.
As part of the campaign, Turkish activists circulated social media posts identifying the woman as a “Zionist soldier with dual citizenship.”
The posts called on the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office to take action, which subsequently initiated the arrest process.
The report said the woman’s release came after involvement by US officials along with Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Sa’ar. Following her release from house arrest, she returned to Israel.
Recent reports indicate that some Israeli dual nationals who served in the IDF have encountered detention, questioning, or threats of legal action while traveling abroad, particularly in countries where such service may conflict with local laws.
Online campaigns exposing their identities have further heightened the risk of arrest and harassment.
IDF soldiers with dual citizenship face growing legal risks abroad.
In Europe, including France, Germany, Belgium, and Italy, advocacy groups have filed complaints seeking war crimes investigations against such individuals.
South Africa and Belgium have also seen probes opened following similar complaints.
Activists have increasingly identified and tracked foreign nationals who served in the IDF to prompt legal action.
Unlike these cases, Turkey has seen an actual detention linked to such efforts.
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