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Israel’s New Battlefield: Preventing the Arrest of IDF Soldiers Around the World
Technologists with the Israeli military’s Matzpen operational data and applications unit work at their stations, at an IDF base in Ramat Gan, Israel, June 11, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Nir Elias
“The International Criminal Court has set a legal precedent that can be applied to any IDF soldier, former soldier or reservist (which includes most citizens of Israel) as well as to U.S. soldiers and civilian leadership.”
I wrote those words almost three months ago in an article about the arrest warrants issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Only weeks later later, this dire prediction is already coming true, with young Israelis urgently fleeing from their vacations to avoid arrest, prosecution, and possible imprisonment — merely for having served in the IDF. Here are the legal mechanisms at play, how to understand what’s happening, and what you can do about it.
The Hind Rajab Foundation, an organization started and led by Dyab Abou Jahjah, a (supposedly former) member of the internationally designated Hezbollah terror organization, claims to have filed arrest requests for 1,000 dual-nationality IDF soldiers across eight countries. The foundation conducts its activities by taking advantage of a legal mechanism called “universal jurisdiction.”
Typically, a country can enforce only its own laws, and only with respect to activities that occur within its own borders. However, some countries have “given themselves” authority to prosecute certain offenses regardless of where they were allegedly committed.
For example, Brazil, South Africa, Ecuador, the Netherlands, France, Argentina, Chile, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Belgium, Serbia, Ireland, and Cyprus, are all considering requests by the Hind Rajab Foundation to arrest visiting or dual-national Israelis, and to prosecute them locally for war crimes allegedly committed in Gaza.
While Israel says that foreign courts have not yet issued actual arrest warrants, numerous Israelis have already had to flee from their vacations after receiving urgent warnings from Israeli intelligence — most recently from Brazil, where an investigation is ongoing against IDF soldier and Nova massacre survivor Yuval Vagdani, as well as an (unnamed) IDF reservist who recently fled from Cyprus.
Strictly speaking, universal jurisdiction violates international law. Under the modern international system, a country must sign a treaty or otherwise agree to an international code of conduct before being subject to its rules. The various treaties that govern international law also establish international courts and tribunals to enforce their rules, which means a country must agree (via the relevant treaty) to be subject to that court’s jurisdiction.
For example, the Rome Statute (to which Israel and the United States are not a party) established the International Criminal Court, while the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (to which Israel is a party) established the International Court of Justice. (For a discussion of how the ICC “gave itself” jurisdiction over Israel in violation of its own rules, see our previous article.)
By contrast, Israel never agreed to be bound by the laws of (for example) Brazil, nor by Brazilian courts or its judges.
On the one hand, the international system respects local authority, which means that if an Israeli tourist commits a crime in Brazil, then Brazilian laws and courts will legitimately apply. However, to arrest an Israeli in Brazil on the basis of his or her IDF service, surpasses the bounds of Brazilian authority. Nonetheless, there is a difference between law and reality: if Brazil were to arrest an Israeli tourist, law would become essentially irrelevant, as Israel would be limited to either bringing diplomatic pressure or going to war.
South Africa has gone one step further: criminalizing IDF service by any South African citizen. This means that even without a trial over war crimes, merely serving in the IDF, in any capacity, could result in arrest and prosecution by South African authorities.
While the ICC’s arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant do not explicitly authorize the arrest of IDF soldiers, the case has had a psychological impact on countries worldwide — creating a sort of assumption that Israel “must be” actually engaged in war crimes, and thus giving national leaders encouragement to exercise universal jurisdiction against Israelis.
Legal procedure aside, Israel is quite simply not engaged in war crimes.
Israel’s operations in Gaza have produced among the lowest civilian to combatant casualty ratios in human history (even according to Hamas’ exaggerated and unreliable figures), approximately nine times less than the UN published global average: thanks in great part to Israel’s incredibly strict rules of engagement.
A recent New York Times article criticizes Israel for “loosening” its rules of engagement in Gaza, specifically claiming that Israel expanded the number of civilians who may be endangered in any given strike. What the NYT hid from its readers, however, is that neither international law, nor most countries, set any such limits at all.
The Geneva Conventions prohibit intentionally targeting civilians, and require that any harm to civilians be proportional to the military objective sought. However, the Geneva Conventions (and most countries) do not set any specific limit on how many civilians may be at risk in any given operation.
In other words, Israel has gone from vastly exceeding the requirements of international law (as well as the limits followed by most other countries) to … still vastly exceeding both. The result has been Israel’s record-breakingly low civilian to combatant casualty ratio.
In short, what we are seeing in both domestic and international courts is not law, but lawfare: the manipulation of legal institutions to conduct warfare, off the battlefield.
IDF soldiers should be careful about what they post on social media, including both activities in uniform as well as travel plans, because anti-Israel and anti-Jewish organizations are using this data to carry out their lawfare-based attacks. Soldiers should also be careful about where they travel on vacation and should stay in regular contact with the relevant Israeli consulate or embassy.
As for the rest of us, it is critical that we contact our elected representatives and speak in our communities. Because lawfare isn’t truly legal in nature, it will not be resolved by a legal process. Only the power of international diplomacy, and Israel’s friends and allies around the world, will win this next of Israel’s many, many recent battles in the multi-front war for our very survival — as a country and as a people.
Daniel Pomerantz is the CEO of RealityCheck, an organization dedicated to deepening public conversation through robust research studies and public speaking.
The post Israel’s New Battlefield: Preventing the Arrest of IDF Soldiers Around the World first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Brooklyn Nets Select Israeli Basketball Players Ben Saraf, Danny Wolf in NBA Draft
The opening tip between the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards, at Barclays Center, in Brooklyn, New York, Dec. 13, 2020. Photo: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
In a landmark night for Israeli basketball, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf were selected in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft by the Brooklyn Nets, marking the first time two Israeli players have been drafted in the same year.
Saraf, a 19-year-old guard known for his explosive athleticism and creative playmaking, was taken with the 26th pick. A standout with Maccabi Rishon LeZion and a rising star on Israel’s youth national teams, Saraf gained international attention with his electrifying scoring and commanding court presence.
With the 27th pick, the Nets selected 7-foot center Danny Wolf out of the University of Michigan. Wolf, who holds dual US-Israeli citizenship and represented Israel at the U-20 level, brings a versatile skill set, including sharp passing, perimeter shooting, and a strong feel for the game. After his name was called, Wolf grew emotional in an on-air interview, crediting his family for helping him reach the moment.
“I have the two greatest brothers in the world; I have an unbelievable sister who I love,” Wolf said. “They all helped me get to where I am today, and they’re going to help me get to where I am going to go in this league.”
The historic double-pick adds to the growing wave of Israeli presence on the NBA stage, led by Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, who just completed a breakout 2024–25 season. After being traded to Portland last summer, Avdija thrived as a starter, averaging 16.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. In March alone, he posted 23.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game, including two triple-doubles.
“I don’t think I’ve played like this before … I knew I had it in me. But I’m not really thinking about it. I’m just playing. I’m just free,” Avdija told reporters in March
With Saraf and Wolf joining Avdija, Israel’s basketball pipeline has reached unprecedented visibility. Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the moment “a national celebration for sports and youth,” and Israeli sports commentators widely hailed the night as “historic.”
Both Saraf and Wolf are expected to suit up for the Nets’ Summer League team in July. As the two rookies begin their NBA journey, they join a growing generation of Israeli athletes proving that their game belongs on basketball’s biggest stage.
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Iran Denies Any Meeting With US Next Week, Foreign Minister Says
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a press conference following a meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 18, 2025. Photo: Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool via REUTERS
Iran currently has no plan to meet with the United States, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday in an interview on state TV, contradicting US President Donald Trump’s statement that Washington planned to have talks with Iran next week.
The Iranian foreign minister said Tehran was assessing whether talks with the US were in its interest, following five previous rounds of negotiations that were cut short by Israel and the US attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The US and Israel said the strikes were meant to curb Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons, while Iran says its nuclear program is solely geared toward civilian use.
Araqchi said the damages to nuclear sites “were not little” and that relevant authorities were figuring out the new realities of Iran’s nuclear program, which he said would inform Iran’s future diplomatic stance.
The post Iran Denies Any Meeting With US Next Week, Foreign Minister Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Ireland Becomes First European Nation to Advance Ban on Trade With Israeli Settlements
A pro-Hamas demonstration in Ireland led by nationalist party Sinn Fein. Photo: Reuters/Clodagh Kilcoyne
Ireland has become the first European nation to push forward legislation banning trade with Israeli communities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem — an effort officials say is meant “to address the horrifying situation” in the Gaza Strip.
On Wednesday, Irish Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Simon Harris announced that the legislation has already been approved by the government and will now move to the parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade for pre-legislative scrutiny.
“Ireland is speaking up and speaking out against the genocidal activity in Gaza,” Harris said during a press conference.
The Irish diplomat also told reporters he hopes the “real benefit” of the legislation will be to encourage other countries to follow suit, “because it is important that every country uses every lever at its disposal.”
Today Ireland becomes the first country in Europe to bring forward legislation to ban trade with the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Ireland is speaking up and speaking out against the genocidal activity in Gaza.
Every country must pull every lever at its disposal. pic.twitter.com/Z4RTjqntEY— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) June 24, 2025
Joining a growing number of EU member states aiming to curb Israel’s defensive campaign against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, Ireland’s decision comes after a 2024 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared Israel’s presence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem illegal.
The ICJ ruled that third countries must avoid trade or investment that supports “the illegal situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”
Once implemented, the law will criminalize the importation of goods from Israeli settlements into Ireland, empowering customs officials to inspect, seize, and confiscate any such shipments.
“The situation in Palestine remains a matter of deep public concern,” Harris said. “I have made it consistently clear that this government will use all levers at its disposal to address the horrifying situation on the ground and to contribute to long-term efforts to achieve a sustainable peace on the basis of the two-state solution.”
“Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are illegal and threaten the viability of the two-state solution,” the Irish diplomat continued. “This is the longstanding position of the European Union and our international partners. Furthermore, this is the clear position under international law.”
Harris also urged the EU to comply with the ICJ’s ruling by taking a more decisive and “adequate response” regarding imports from Israeli settlements.
“This is an issue that I will continue to press at EU level, and I reiterated my call for concrete proposals from the European Commission at the Foreign Affairs Council this week,” he said.
Last week, Ireland and eight other EU member states — Finland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden — called on the European Commission to draft proposals for how EU countries can halt trade and imports with Israeli settlements, in line with obligations set out by the ICJ.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the latest move by European countries, calling it “shameful” and a misguided attempt to undermine Israel while it faces “existential” threats from Iran and its proxies, including Hamas.
“It is regrettable that even when Israel is fighting an existential threat which is in Europe’s vital interest — there are those who can’t resist their anti-Israeli obsession,” the top Israeli diplomat said in a post on X.
It is regrettable that even when Israel fighting an existential threat which is in Europe vital interest – there are those who can’t resist their anti-Israeli obsession.
Shameful! https://t.co/lxm9qm8sM1— Gideon Sa’ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) June 19, 2025
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