UK briefly detained IDF reservist over ‘war crimes’ complaint

An Israel Defense Forces reservist who fought in Gaza was briefly detained upon entering the United Kingdom several weeks ago after a pro-Palestinian group filed a complaint accusing him of “war crimes.”

The former soldier, who was in Britain on a business trip, was released after several hours of questioning at the airport, according to the Ynet news website. The Foreign Ministry reportedly intervened on his behalf, and British authorities later apologized for the incident. It was not clear on what specific basis he was detained, or what was said in the subsequent apology.

The soldier, who served during the 2014 Gaza war, is believed to have been included on a list drawn up by pro-Palestinian groups of IDF soldiers. IDF sources told Ynet the organizations gathered the names of soldiers from media reports and social media profiles.

“Every soldier and officer who served in Operation Protective Edge whose name and picture were published in the media in the standard manner by the army but also on social networks, is liable to encounter such incidents while abroad,” an unnamed source from the IDF’s prosecutor’s office told Ynet.

The 60 soldiers who received citations for excellence during the 50-day operation were more likely to be included on the lists since their information was formally released by the army to the media, the source said.

“It is not just arrest warrants or delays of chiefs of staff or former generals, such as (former IDF chief) Gabi Ashkenazi, or (former head of Military Intelligence) Amos Yadlin, but the persecution of every last soldier who served in the operation and whose identity was officially released,” the source said.