The legal complaint was filed by Belgian-Lebanese Dyab Abou Jahjah, president of the anti-IDF Hind Rajab Foundation, alleging the two Israeli soldiers committed ‘’war crimes and genocide in Gaza.’’
The European Jewish Association found it ‘’unacceptable that such a complaint was initiated by a figure known for his open support of Hezbollah, a terrorist organisation responsible for countless civilian deaths. Giving legitimacy to such actors undermines the credibility of our institutions and emboldens extremism.’’
Two Israeli soldiers against whom a complaint was filed while they attended this weekend the Tomorrowland electronic music festival in Boom, Belgium, were tracked down and interrogated by Belgian authorities, Flemish public television VRT said Monday quoting the federal prosecutor’s office.
“Afterwards, they were allowed to dispose. In principle, they can leave the country,’’ it said.
Many Israelis attend the festival every year.
The action by the Belgian authorities followed a legal complaint filed by Belgian-Lebanese Dyab Abou Jahjah, president of the anti-IDF Hind Rajab Foundation, with the federal prosecutor’s office against the two Israeli soldiers, alleging they committed ‘’war crimes and genocide in Gaza.’’
The Global Legal Action Network is also party to the joint complaints submitted to the Federal Prosecutor, calling for the two’s immediate arrest and prosecution under Belgium’s universal jurisdiction laws.
According to the Hind Rajab Foundation, the two, reportedly associated with Israel’s Givati Brigade, are implicated in attacks on civilians, forced displacement and the deliberate destruction of Palestinian infrastructure. Witnesses stated that a group of Israeli men displayed the Givati Brigade flag at the festival.
In a reaction, the Brussels-based European Jewish Association (EJA) said it is ‘’deeply concerned’’ by the conduct of the Belgian authorities toward the two Israeli soldiers ‘’who were temporarily questioned following a politically motivated complaint.’’
‘’These soldiers were carrying out their lawful duties in defence of their country — duties comparable to those of any soldier serving in a democratic nation,’’ it said.
The EJA found it ‘’ unacceptable that such a complaint was initiated by a figure known for his open support of Hezbollah, a terrorist organisation responsible for countless civilian deaths. Giving legitimacy to such actors undermines the credibility of our institutions and emboldens extremism.’’
The statement continues ‘’once again, we are witnessing a disturbing double standard. We do not see the same zeal applied when it comes to individuals from regimes such as Iran, Turkey, China, or even Western democracies involved in foreign conflicts. Why is it always Israel that is singled out?”
‘’Belgium must remain a country where Jews and Israelis can feel safe and welcome not a place where they are politically harassed under the guise of human rights,’’ EJA concludes.
The Hind Rajab Foundation gathers publicly available information about IDF soldiers, including military operations they participated in, with the aim of prosecuting them abroad.
The organization is one of five that the Israeli Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Ministry recommended in late June for a ban from entering the Jewish state due to legal actions against Israeli citizens.
The others are Al-Haq Europe, Law for Palestine, Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) and Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights.
According to a Diaspora Ministry statement, these organizations and individuals “meet the conditions set forth in the Law for the Prevention of Entry.” A list dated June 25, comprising 50 individuals affiliated with these groups, has been submitted to Israel’s Interior Ministry, which can ban individuals from entering the country.
The Hind Rajab Foundation was established in Brussels in September 2024 as a nonprofit named after a Palestinian child allegedly killed by the IDF during the current war with Hamas.
It is affiliated with the March 30 Movement and led by Dyab Abou Jahjah and Karim Hassoun.
To date, the foundation claims to have filed complaints against at least 28 soldiers in eight different countries and has submitted a brief to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, accusing more than 1,000 IDF soldiers of war crimes in Gaza and Lebanon.
Abou Jahjah, who was born in Southern Lebanon and acquired Belgian citizenship through marriage, is a former recognized Hezbollah activist who was charged by Belgian police in 2002 for involvement in violence.
Hassoun has served since 2005 as chairman of the Arab European League, which is dedicated to “helping Muslim integration in Europe,” and previously published a cartoon suggesting Jews fabricated the Holocaust. He holds Belgian citizenship as well.
Jewish News Syndicate contributed to this report.