Israel’s leaders may not be the only ones who should be cautious about going overseas. Due to accusations of war crimes in Israel’s attack on the beleaguered Palestinian enclave, troops who have served in Gaza now seem to be at an increased risk of being arrested themselves.
One soldier on vacation in Brazil earlier this month fled the South American nation after a judge ordered federal police to conduct an investigation in response to a lawsuit accusing the soldier of war crimes in Gaza. The incident has caused outrage in Israel and praise overseas.
After what it described as anti-Israel groups demanded an investigation last week, Israel’s Foreign Ministry assisted the former soldier in leaving Brazil on a commercial airline, the ministry said in a statement shared with NBC News on Monday.
“The Consular Section of the Foreign Ministry and the Israeli Embassy in Brazil contacted the Israeli and his family, and accompanied him throughout the event until his swift and safe departure from Brazil,” read the statement.
Israelis were also cautioned by the foreign ministry not to advertise their military service on social media, stating that “anti-Israeli elements may exploit these posts to initiate futile legal proceedings against them.”
The Israeli soldier was accused of taking part in a systematic campaign of destruction that involved the demolition of numerous civilian homes in Gaza. The case was brought by the Hind Rajab Foundation, or HRF, a Belgian organization that aims to document the actions of Israeli soldiers in Gaza and seek justice for possible war crimes.
HRF’s lead attorney, Maira Pinheiro, stated in a statement posted on the organization’s website that this is not a case of distant command. This person’s words and actions are obviously in line with the genocidal goals in Gaza, and he actively participated in the destruction of homes and livelihoods.
According to Brazilian news outlet Metr poles, Judge Raquel Soares Charelli ordered federal police to begin an inquiry into the soldier on Dec. 30, citing Article 88 of the Brazilian Code of Criminal Procedure, which governs prosecutions for crimes purportedly committed outside of Brazil.
Additionally, according to HRF, Israeli officials helped the soldier escape Brazil.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refrained from commenting on the event. NBC News’s requests for comment were not immediately answered by Israel’s foreign ministry, Israel Defense Forces, or a spokeswoman for Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz.
Additionally, NBC News’s request for comment from Brazilian federal police was not immediately answered.
In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Yoav Gallant, the former Israeli defense minister, and Netanyahu.
Israel, which has strongly refuted claims of war crimes and charged international tribunals with antisemitism for pursuing them, is furious and alarmed by the recent case in Brazil.
According to Israeli media, Yuli Edelstein, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, declared that the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, would hold an urgent meeting on Monday to explore ways to shield IDF soldiers serving overseas from accusations of war crimes.
Yair Lapid, the head of the Israeli opposition, accused Israel’s government of being responsible for the potential prosecution of Israeli soldiers overseas.
“The fact that an Israeli reservist was forced to flee Brazil in the dead of night to avoid arrest for fighting in Gaza is a huge political failure by an irresponsible government that simply doesn t know how to work,” Lapid wrote in a post to X on Sunday.
Some human rights activists, meanwhile, praised the case.
Legal action in Brazil and elsewhere is long overdue, according to United Nations Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese.
Israel will do all in its power to protect its soldiers because it cannot afford to have them convicted of crimes against Palestinians overseas. However, she stated in Aposton X on Sunday that justice is inexorable.
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