Sense of impunity ‘absolute’: The NGO holding Israeli soldiers to account
Israeli officials are concerned about their soldiers being arrested after fighting in Gaza after a soldier fled Brazil to avoid being questioned over alleged war crimes he committed in Gaza and filmed for social media.
The Belgium-based Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) is the force behind this international effort for accountability.
Formed just five months ago, HRF has pulled together lawyers and activists from around the world to prepare cases, primarily based on social media content shared by Israeli soldiers themselves.
Israeli reservist Yuval Vagdani was among the first of what HRF founder and Chair Dyab Abou Jahjah says will be many soldiers accused of war crimes.
Speaking to the Israeli media on Wednesday after being “forced” to cut his “dream trip” to Brazil short, Vagdani said finding himself subject to an overseas war crimes investigation after having filmed himself blowing up people’s homes in Gaza “felt a little like a bullet in the heart”.According to local media, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had played a critical role in helping Vagdani evade investigation and potential prosecution for war crimes, first arranging for him to be smuggled into Argentina, and from there to the United States, before eventually leaving for Israel.
Israeli authorities and media have issued guidelines to soldiers on evading arrest overseas and camouflaging their identities while on deployment.
No response has been received to Al Jazeera’s query as to whether these extra measures include training for reservists on what might constitute a war crime.
Predictably, HRF’s work has been met with fierce criticism in Israel, with some claiming that these legal procedures are “doxxing” (the unauthorised publication of individual identities) of soldiers who filmed themselves.
Abou Jahjah has also been personally threatened by Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli, who – alluding to the attacks on Hezbollah’s members’ communication systems in September 2024 – told him to “watch your pager”.
Impunity and persecution
“They’re proud of these acts,” Milena Ansari of Human Rights Watch said from Jerusalem of the potential war crimes broadcast by soldiers across social media.
“Putting it online both adds to the dehumanisation of Palestinians as well as provides cause for actual celebration,” she told Al Jazeera.
“The sense of impunity is absolute … It’s always been there, especially with regard to Israeli actions in the occupied West Bank, but it’s increased significantly since October 2023 [when Israel’s war on Gaza began].”
Many in Israel regard the cases against reservists as unjust and a continuation of centuries of anti-Semitism, feelings claimed and weaponised by the Israeli state, political scientist Ori Goldberg said from Tel Aviv.
