Two young Israeli soldiers who arrived in Amsterdam last week were forced to hide out in their hotel and return to Israel after a pro-Palestinian group accused them of war crimes in Gaza and threatened to sue them through the Dutch courts.
The two soldiers posted pictures on social media on Sunday showing themselves enjoying the city’s sights. However, by Tuesday they were back in Tel Aviv after they were advised not to go out in public – and their flights home were paid for by an Israeli insurance company.
According to The Times of Israel, the insurer, PassportCard, has allocated $1 million to cover the cost of repatriating Israelis to avoid possible prosecution for alleged crimes during the war in Gaza which followed the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7th, 2023.
Similar incidents are reported to have happened in 12 countries. In Brazil last month, Israeli embassy officials shepherded a soldier out of the country after a judge ordered police to open an investigation into alleged war crimes in Gaza.
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Israel’s foreign ministry confirmed that it had liaised with the soldier’s family and that officials had “accompanied him throughout the event until his swift and safe departure from Brazil”. The procedure appears to have been the same in the Amsterdam incident.
In both cases the soldiers were identified by the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), an organisation based in Belgium that aims to document the actions of Israeli soldiers in Gaza and pursue justice for alleged war crimes.
Among other data, the foundation gathers images and videos posted by Israeli soldiers, some of which show what appears to be abuse and humiliation of Palestinian prisoners. It says it verifies these posts where possible. Others have been verified by American media.
The Israel Defense Forces has repeatedly ordered soldiers to stop sharing such images online.
[ West Bank Palestinians fear Gaza-style clearance as Israel squeezes Jenin campOpens in new window ]
Yuval Kaplinsky, a former senior Israeli state lawyer, said: “If a soldier does not record videoclips of himself committing activities that are considered war crimes, and does not announce himself engaging in such activities, then he should not worry about being arrested.”
According to HRF legal adviser Haroon Raza, the foundation advises anyone with information to share it with them privately.
“That way we have time to put together reports which we can share with local officials, for instance the public prosecutor’s office in the Netherlands.
“In this particular case, however, there was unfortunately not enough time.”
Former executive director of Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Roth, observed: “These cases should remind Israelis that war crimes are crimes of universal jurisdiction, meaning they can be prosecuted by any national court – even where there’s no immediate link to the Gaza conflict.”
