Imagine being an IDF reservist who has served over 100 days in some of the worst areas of fighting. Feeling exhausted and burnt out, the thought of a well-deserved break, at one of your favorite vacation spots, must come as a breath of fresh air.
But what happens when you get there and hear that there are those seeking to arrest you for alleged war crimes as a result of your military service? This was the dilemma faced by Yuval Vagdani, whose vacation was unexpectedly cut short when he realized that if he didn’t flee Brazil, he would be arrested. Thanks to the many text messages he received from the Foreign Ministry and his family, warning him to leave immediately, he was spared the humiliation of having to face such politically motivated charges.
Smuggled into Argentina with the help of Israel’s foreign ministry, Vagdani was able to make his way to the US and finally to his homeland. A foolish error had put him at risk, a selfie taken while destroying a residential building in Gaza, posted on social media with no context as to why the structure had been slated for demolition [and no mention of its residents’ whereabouts].
In this political blame game, which has moved from targeting Israeli leaders for arrest to the IDF soldiers who take their orders from above, all are viewed as “guilty” of the crime of defending the homeland and its citizens.
Any retaliation for the barbaric massacre of October 7 or against rockets launched by Hezbollah, the Houthis, Iran, or others, has been categorized as “unjustified” Israeli “aggression” or a “disproportionate response” to a lesser-equipped enemy, despite its hiding under the cover of heavily populated civilian areas – in an attempt to disqualify the IDF from striking back.
Now that there’s a crime, there has to be a punishment, and, in this case, it translates into the risk of military-age men and women finding themselves in the perilous position of finding themselves on a “most wanted” list when they had hoped to have enjoyed a relaxing time abroad, unwinding from the horrors of war.
OF COURSE, the lengthier process of opening an investigation to properly verify such serious claims, was passed up for the quicker gratification of the assumption of guilt, via an arrest warrant; such is the power of the legal activist group HRF, (Hind Rajab Foundation) which has taken it upon itself to declare liability and guilt as it wholly devotes itself to “legal action against perpetrators, accomplices and inciters of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Palestine.”
Taking its name from the six-year-old Gaza child they claim was killed by the IDF in January 2024, while in a car targeted by an Israeli tank, is the one-sided narrative, thin on facts, missing the Israeli portrayal of those events, which would likely tell another story.
But for a foundation dedicated to bringing to justice the inciters of war crimes against Gazans, it boggles the mind how incredibly jaded they can be by purposefully ignoring the real perpetrators of war crimes against Gazans. Hamas has been completely responsible for the death and suffering of the Palestinians people.
NO LONGER able to live in the comfort of their homes, Gazan civilians they were forced to leave by a moral army seeking to save their loves as opposed to their Hamas terror government, which didn’t care that they ended up displaced at best and dead at worst.
It is this kind of cynical disregard by the initiators, responsible for so much tragedy, on both sides of the fence, which brings their justice-seeking into question, causing any fair-minded person to understand that this quasi-organization is nothing more than a biased anti-Israel attempt at full-on persecution, targeting the true victims of a war they never wanted or started.
The Belgium-based foundation, established by Dyab Abou Jahjah, is said to have “a long history of anti-Israel activism backing Hezbollah” and is “an individual who received military training from the terror group” (“The Hind Rajab Foundation behind IDF soldiers’ doxxing, legal campaign threats – explainer,” Jerusalem Post, January 5).
HRF will stop at nothing to accomplish its goal of harassment, hounding and doing everything in its power to make an example of IDF soldiers for performing their patriotic duty, including doxxing and digging up photos from social media, which might be seen as incriminating, all in their relentless campaign to defang the Israeli military.
Pressuring countries to arrest soldiers
Once they have what they want, the next step is to pressure countries to arrest these soldiers if they are found to be vacationing there. As countless hours and volumes of photos, posts, and other documentation is being unearthed, by the tireless workers of HRF, almost any soldier is vulnerable to the same treatment received by Yuval Vagdani.
Consequently, the prospect of that much-needed vacation must be carefully considered and weighed as to the chances for a potential arrest as well as the likelihood of a particular country’s willingness to acquiesce to such a warrant.
The resultant “house arrest,” which would ensue as this hateful foundation seeks to prevent young Israelis from leaving their homeland for a quick escape from the daily pressures they face, is the punishment they hope to inflict, in lieu of their doomed effort to pin the blame on the defenders of freedom and of life, rather than point the finger at guilty bloodthirsty terrorists whose barbaric acts extend to their own people.
THE MISERY of Gaza must be solely attributed to those same enemies of Israel who have no personal sentimental attachment or concern for man, woman, or child, irrespective of their race. They are haters of humanity and incapable of mercy, compassion, or regard for the value of life. Those who advocate for such monsters are proponents of the dark evil that praises murderous thugs, labeling them as freedom fighters – and their victims as colonialist aggressors.
Countries incapable of recognizing that they are being drawn into a distorted and warped attempt to persecute Israeli soldiers will eventually find themselves at the mercy of unjust arbiters who, at some point, could very likely turn on them, too.
In the meantime, let’s appreciate how blessed we are to live in a country with amazing beaches, the wonders of the Dead Sea, and the glorious nature reserves which rival even the most coveted vacation spots.
The writer is a former Jerusalem elementary and middle school principal. She is also the author of Mistake-Proof Parenting, available on Amazon, based on the time-tested wisdom found in the Book of Proverbs.