Israel Matzav: South Africa conducting witch hunt for IDF soldiers

South Africa conducting witch hunt for IDF soldiers

Back in August, I reported on efforts in South Africa to arrest IDF legal officer and Israeli - South African dual citizen David Benjamin while Benjamin was in South Africa for a visit. Russ H points me to this story which claims that South Africa is actually conducting a witch hunt for IDF soldiers who fought in Operation Cast Lead and who hold South African citizenship.

Some 75 IDF soldiers are involved. Former Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Israeli-Palestinian Disputed territories John Dugard [pictured. CiJ] and the Media Review Network are considering an application to the International Criminal Court to bring the charge of war crimes against 75 South Africans who allegedly served in the IDF during the recent war in Gaza.

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Since the NPA [South Africa's National Prosecuting Authority. CiJ] has up until now not investigated the charges, Dugard is threatening to take the charges to the International Criminal Court.

Even though Dugard concedes that “except for one individual, whom he declined to name, there was scant proof that these soldiers actually participated in the fighting” he has nevertheless wasted the time of the NPA and intends to do the same with the ICC. Its not like the NPA are busy with a serious crime problem!

Since there is no attempt to call for charges against war crimes committed by Hamas, since there is no proof that the 75 South Africans actually took part in the fighting, and since there is no proof that even if they did that they were involved in war crimes, I can only conclude that this is nothing but a sinister witch hunt against South African Jews.

I'm not concerned with wasting the time of the ICC (I know little of the NPA). But I am concerned that Israeli dual citizens being prosecuted in their former home countries for actions taken in the IDF will have a chilling effect on the dedication of these soldiers and their fighting ethos. And while this would not catch Americans right now (the United States has not ratified the Rome Treaty that established the ICC, although under Obama one can never be sure), it obviously has implications for Americans living in Israel as well.

This is why - again - it's important for Israel to draft a core of lawyers who can fight these cases and make it possible for IDF soldiers to freely travel abroad again.

Israel Matzav: South Africa conducting witch hunt for IDF soldiers