An initial meeting of a team of ministers from the security-diplomatic cabinet led by Foreign Minister Gideon Saar was held this morning (Sunday), to address the issue of protecting Jews and Israelis abroad. The discussion focused on improving cooperation between security, foreign, and legal agencies and preparing to deal with evolving threats.
Earlier today, we reported that a federal court in Brazil had ordered the arrest of an IDF soldier who was on vacation in the country, on suspicion of ‘committing war crimes’ in the Gaza Strip as part of the war. This case joins a series of problematic events in recent months, in which pro-Palestinian organizations have initiated legal actions against IDF soldiers.
In the past, there had been an attempt to arrest an Israeli reserve officer in Cyprus, but he returned to Israel before detainment. In another case, an IDF soldier received an order from Israel to leave during a trip to Sri Lanka due to fears of arrest.
The Accumulation of Events Requires Serious Attention
To date, organizations have not succeeded in arresting IDF soldiers visiting abroad, but these occurrences have raised major concerns within the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Justice, and the ministers are currently discussing how to address the issue.
The discussion included ministers Yitzhak Wasserlauf, Avi Dichter, and Amichai Shikli, along with representatives from the Shin Bet, Mossad, and the National Security Headquarters. The Foreign Ministry stated this was “the first discussion in a series planned to focus on strengthening the international security system, especially following Minister Saar’s personal handling of the sensitive case in Brazil over the weekend.”
