Israel continues feeling the pressure in the wake of the controversial International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision to issue arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister Yoav Gallant for overseeing alleged war crimes in the Gaza Strip.
Israel's military has issued an alert to all troops warning about travel abroad. "Some soldiers have already been required to leave countries they visited due to concerns about legal proceedings," the Israeli news site Ynet reports Wednesday.
The report details that in many cases pro-Palestinian organizations are pressuring governments abroad to block certain individuals from traveling, by creating "blacklists" with details of Israeli army soldiers. Names and photos are used and circulated while "hoping to identify future travel plans."
"Individual proceedings against soldiers and junior officers traveling abroad could be based on ICC rulings. To any soldier or officer, if they are arrested, summoned for questioning, or feel they are being followed or photographed while abroad, Israel will provide immediate legal assistance through its local embassy or the Foreign Ministry’s situation room," the army said in the message.
"In non-ICC member countries such as the US, China, or India, there is local legislation governing the law of war. These nations are not obligated to act on ICC arrest warrants, but local laws could still pose risks," it added.
Ynet notes that some European governments have already taken action against over a dozen soldiers:
The IDF has identified about 30 cases of criminal proceedings initiated against its members. At least eight soldiers, including some who had traveled to Cyprus, Slovenia and the Netherlands, were forced to leave immediately.
The push for the arrest warrants was overseen by The Hague-based ICC's Karim Khan, and subsequently the warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant were obtained on November 21.
While the ICC has no enforcement arm, relying on individual member states, it creates a political headache for the Israeli government. And clearly, given the army's warning to all ranks of troops, the warrants are having a chilling and trickle-down effect.
Israel, the US, and some other allies have blasted the ICC move as outrageous and even 'antisemitic'. The ICC has in turn said it has long faced coercion and threats from Israeli officials.