By The Jerusalem Post (World News) | Created at 2025-01-11 06:45:06 | Updated at 2025-01-11 08:43:52
2 hours ago
Vagdani, who was the target of the warrant, is also a survivor of the Hamas October 7 attack. He arrived in Brazil on December 24.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF JANUARY 11, 2025 08:39 Updated: JANUARY 11, 2025 08:40
People hold signs during a protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, during the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil November 18, 2024.
(photo credit: REUTERS/SERGIO QUEIROZ)
A judge in Brazil's federal court in Rio de Janeiro warned that an arrest warrant against IDF soldier Yuval Vagdani, who was vacationing in Brazil, could damage the country's tourism industry, he wrote in an op-ed piece in O Dia on Thursday.
William Douglas, a judge and a professor of constitutional law, wrote in his opinion piece that a request to arrest a person who is not being prosecuted anywhere in the world is "so insane that it should be rejected immediately."
Douglas highlighted in his op-ed that the request for the arrest was made by the Hind Rajab Foundation, a Belgian-based NGO whose leader was a member of Hezbollah.
The judge described the request as "bizarre and opportunistic" and then argued that he was persecuted solely based on his nationality. Douglas wrote that the judiciary was not effective in looking into the inquiry of Vagdani in the country.
"Unfortunately, many people, including politicians, celebrated the fact that a person who chose Brazil to travel to was surprised by a threat of arrest made by an incompetent authority in a country where he thought there was legal security," he said. "Brazil has always been hospitable to everyone, and this image has been tarnished."
Vagdani is a survivor of the Hamas October 7 attacks, KAN noted; he arrived in Brazil on December 24. "After a period of reserve and after being in Nova, which I didn't do this year, I wanted my dream trip. I was in the best place of my life with my friends. I thanked God for every moment there," the Israeli news source quoted him as saying.
However, last week, Vagdani woke up to phone calls from his family and the Israeli Foreign Ministry regarding the arrest warrant.
Douglas emphasized Brazil's popularity among Israeli travelers in his piece."Approximately 38,000 Israelis visit our country, generating around R$230 million for our economy. For years, Israelis have been coming to Bahia for vacation. They love Itacaré, Morro de São Paulo, etc. There are menus in Hebrew, and the hotels have Hebrew-speaking staff, all due to the number of Israeli tourists."
Douglas argued that the request for Vagdani's arrest would damage Brazil's economy by hindering more people from the Jewish state from coming to the South American country. "In addition to destroying the economy of Gaza, using the huge amounts of donations to build tunnels and buy weapons, Hamas and its allies have now managed to extend their trail of destruction to Bahia."
Douglas accused the Brazilian government of supporting the Islamic Republic of Iran, and noted that it does not have jurisdiction to put foreigners for alleged crimes they committed outside of Brazil. He wrote that the best course of action would be for the Brazilian Foreign Affairs Ministry to clarify that Israeli tourists need not avoid traveling to the country.
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Another complaint against a soldier reported
KAN later reported that the Hind Rajab organization had filed complaints in four countries against another IDF soldier.
The organization published the identity of an IDF sniper and filed complaints in Europe for "war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in Gaza," demanding to prevent his "escape from justice."
Complaints were filed in Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway. Since the soldier may have since left Sweden, the organization chose to add complaints to three nearby countries.
They published the soldier's name and photos on X/Twitter and called on the authorities to "take responsibility."
The IDF decided this week to try to take action against the persecution of soldiers who fought and operated since October 7, and therefore prohibited the publication of the photos and identities of soldiers and officers from the rank of brigadier general and below who participated in the fighting, KAN noted.
Data first revealed by KAN showed that since the beginning of the war, about 50 complaints have been filed against IDF reservists abroad, with 10 of those countries opening investigations. So far, not a single soldier has been arrested. Data from the IDF's Information Security Directorate reveals that IDF personnel upload about a million items to social media every day.
