Israel companies add legal package to travel insurance for soldiers fearing risk of arrest

The international legal prosecutions of occupation army soldiers who participated in the genocidal war on Gaza have prompted an Israeli insurance company to add legal consultation to its regular travel insurance package in the event of soldiers are detained due to their army service.

Soldiers in the Israeli occupation army now face the possibility of arrest abroad due to photos and videos they and their colleagues uploaded from the field in Gaza on social media, providing evidence of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Human rights groups, including the Hind Rajab Foundation, have been instigating legal actions against the soldiers when they travel abroad on holiday, including to Brazil, Italy and Sweden.

The risk of arrest has led to the Israeli army ordering its cadres to delete their social media accounts and avoid implicating themselves in the crimes.

“It’s scary that my friends may have uploaded a photo with me, or sent it to someone who then uploaded it, and suddenly on the border of some country, they can accuse me of a crime against humanity, which I didn’t do,” one soldier said.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry has helped soldiers leave countries where they face possible legal action.

Several Israeli organisations, including El Hadegel, have set up a legal assistance package for soldiers and reservists in cooperation with Herzog Fox & Neeman. The Shurat Hadin organisation also advised soldiers to delete any photos showing them in army uniform from social media and to have the Israeli consulate’s number to hand.

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