An Israeli officer was detained in Britain on charges of committing war crimes during his participation in the aggression against the Gaza Strip during 2014’s “Operation Protective Edge”, Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper revealed.
The retired reserve officer was arrested several weeks ago when he landed in London, the paper reported yesterday.
A complaint has been filed at numerous European police stations against a number of Israeli soldiers and officers who were part of the Israeli aggression against Gaza.
The officer who was arrested was released after the Israeli foreign ministry intervened and British authorities apologised to him.
However, the newspaper warned that every officer and soldier who had published photos of himself while participating in the war in Gaza, on the internet including the 60 soldiers and officers who received bravery and courage medals for their performance during the war “may find themselves on the black list of pro-Palestinian organisations”.
According to the paper, this means “that thousands of soldiers and officers in the Israeli army could be arrested or prosecuted in several European countries for war crimes against the backdrop of their participation in the war in Gaza.”
The paper adds that “soldiers and officers who want to travel abroad are at risk of prosecution, even after leaving the service in the army,” and that “it is not limited to the Chiefs of Staff in the Israeli army including generals like Gabi Ashkenazi or Amos Yadlin, but applies to the low rank soldiers who took part in the last war.”
The prosecution will also include soldiers who killed Palestinians during the current intifada, it added.
According to the paper, the Israeli army in collaboration with the foreign ministry are working to take preventive actions against the arrest of soldiers and officers abroad, including briefing the military prosecutor about soldiers, officers and military officials who travel abroad.
Source; Middle East monitor
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