Israel said on Tuesday that pressure groups were pressuring foreign courts to take action against Israelis for alleged war crimes in Gaza, but described the actions as “propaganda activity” and said no court orders had been issued.
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as Hamas leader Ibrahim Al-Masri, for alleged war crimes in Gaza.
The orders sparked outrage in Israel, but also raised fears that similar orders could be issued against Israelis who served in the military in Gaza.
On Sunday, an Israeli reservist vacationing in Brazil left the country after a Brazilian federal judge in Salvador ordered police to open an investigation into allegations that he committed war crimes while serving in the army in Gaza.
The Hind Rajab Foundation, the pro-Palestinian group that filed the lawsuit, says on its website that it “focuses on offensive legal actions against perpetrators, accomplices and instigators of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Palestine.”
The Belgium-based group, named after a Palestinian girl killed in Gaza last year, also said it had submitted evidence of alleged war crimes to the ICC against 1,000 Israelis, including video and audio reports, forensic reports and other documentation. The ICC confirmed it had received a submission and said it would “analyze the materials submitted, as appropriate.”
Israel’s Foreign Ministry offered assistance to the reservist flagged for the action, but officials said the problem was not widespread.
“This is a phenomenon of very limited scope in numerical terms,” Foreign Ministry Director General Eden Bar Tal told reporters in Jerusalem, stating that there had been no more than 10 or 12 cases since the start of the campaign. of Israel in Gaza 15 months ago.
“There was no warrant issued in any of these cases. So it was, I would say, a relatively strong public relations activity, but with very low judicial results, very, very low – zero -,” he said.
“We believe that it is a lot of propaganda activity in general and it is sponsored by entities, a very small number of entities, that have direct connections with terrorist organizations,” he said.
Hind Rajab Foundation founder Dyab Abou Jahjah posts messages on social media platform He has also posted messages in support of the Hezbollah movement, backed by Iran and designated a terrorist organization by many Western countries.
The group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Brazil case attracted widespread attention in Israel, underscoring fears that people outside the government and military leadership could become involved in the issue of war crimes, particularly through social media posts.
The Israeli military has warned reservists that they could be arrested abroad for alleged war crimes in Gaza, according to documents published by Israeli media. The left-wing newspaper Haaretz said complaints have been filed against IDF soldiers in South Africa, Belgium and France, as well as Brazil.
However, Rubens Becak, a law professor at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil, said it is not always easy for third countries to respond to demands of this type.
“Without specific legislation, it is very difficult for institutions like the Federal Police to act in cases like this,” he said.
