Allowing a war criminal to attend a commemoration for Auschwitz, while perpetuating similar suffering at the same time, is a profound insult to the memory of those who were lost in both places, writes Farrah Koutteineh [photo credit: Getty Images]
If you had read the headline “war criminal flees to Argentina to avoid war crimes arrest” in 1945, it would have referred to Nazi war criminals escaping Germany to Latin America to evade justice during the Nuremberg trials. Now, 80 years later, a similar headline emerges, but this time it involves Israeli soldiers fleeing to Argentina to evade arrest for crimes against humanity and genocide committed in Gaza.
Since its establishment 76 years ago, Israel’s settler-colonial existence and enterprise have fostered a culture of impunity for even the most heinous and unthinkable crimes.
However, in recent days, this long-standing impunity has begun to erode.
Just last week, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs orchestrated the smuggling of Israeli soldier Yuval Vagdani, who is wanted on suspicion of war crimes, out of Brazil and into Argentina before eventually returning him to Israel. This manoeuvre was aimed at helping Vagdani evade investigation and prosecution for war crimes committed in Gaza.
The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) was responsible for compiling and submitting sufficient evidence to Brazilian authorities to warrant his arrest while he was vacationing in the country. Notably, much of this evidence came from content Vagdani himself had uploaded to social media, boasting about his involvement in Israel’s accelerated genocide of the Palestinians.
Brazil is not the only country taking steps to hold Israeli soldiers accountable.
In the same week that Israeli authorities smuggled Yuval Vagdani out of Brazil, over 620 lawyers in Chile called for the arrest of Israeli soldier Saar Hirshoren. Hirshoren, who had served in Battalion 749 during the Gaza genocide, was vacationing in Chile’s Patagonia at the time.
The legal complaint accused Hirshoren of “deliberately destroying residential neighbourhoods, cultural sites, and essential facilities in Gaza; committing inhumane, cruel, and degrading acts; and causing ethnic cleansing and the forced displacement of the population.” The accusations were supported by evidence filed by the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF).
At a press conference, Nelson Haddad, one of the Chilean lawyers advocating for Hirshoren’s arrest, stressed the urgency of action, stating that the arrest must occur “before the imminent escape attempt.”
Just two days ago, the Hind Rajab Foundation filed another lawsuit, this time with Swedish authorities, against Israeli soldier Boaz Ben David on charges of committing acts of genocide in Gaza. The HRF is building cases not only against Israeli soldiers who casually vacation in sunny or ski destinations after participating in genocide but also against those holding dual citizenship, pursuing legal action in their second country of nationality.
Keeping the receipts of genocide
Established just five months ago, the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) is a Brussels-based organisation of human rights lawyers committed to seeking justice for the genocide unfolding in Gaza.
Named in memory of Hind Rajab, a six-year-old Palestinian girl who was tragically shot 335 times by Israeli tanks in Gaza, the foundation was born amid the ongoing atrocities. To date, the HRF has filed over 1,100 lawsuits against Israeli soldiers involved in the genocide.
The HRF’s relentless pursuit of accountability was met with a public death threat from Israeli government minister Amichai Chikli. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Chikli directed the threat at the HRF’s Director, writing, “Hello to our human rights activist. Watch your pager.”
This intimidation comes as the long-standing culture of impunity within the settler-colonial state begins to crumble. In recent days, Israeli authorities have issued guidelines for soldiers on evading arrest abroad, camouflaging their identities during deployments, and refraining from uploading incriminating videos of their actions to social media — an acknowledgement of growing accountability pressures.
But this is all just damage control. Over the last 14 months, social media platforms have been flooded with self-recorded videos of Israeli soldiers committing heinous and unimaginable crimes in Palestine. These include selfies of soldiers detonating bombs, torturing Palestinians, wearing lingerie looted from the rubble of destroyed Palestinian homes, and live-streaming the murder of Palestinians. In memory of Hind Rajab, Palestine will have its Nuremberg, too.
In November 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli PM, Benjamin Netanyahu, and former Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant under articles 18 and 19 of the Rome Statute for crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Typically, in response, the US threatened to ‘sanction’ the ICC. The US, it appears, is concerned that as Israel’s veil of impunity begins to lift it may only be a matter of time before their own actions come under scrutiny — likely resulting in far more than two arrest warrants.
The ICC’s warrants obligate all states that have ratified the Rome Statute, including all EU member states, to comply with the arrests. This includes Poland.
However, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has announced he will not arrest Netanyahu during his upcoming visit to Poland later this month to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
This stance blatantly contradicts international law. It is a bitter irony that a leader accused of transforming Gaza into what many describe as a modern-day concentration camp is being allowed to commemorate the anniversary of another.
Over 1.1 million people perished in Auschwitz, whether in gas chambers, from starvation, cold, or disease, during Nazi Germany’s occupation of Poland in World War II. The harrowing scenes from Auschwitz bear a chilling resemblance to those in Gaza today, where relentless bombing for over 14 months has left hundreds of thousands starving, and even infants freezing to death.
Allowing a war criminal to attend a commemoration for Auschwitz, while perpetuating similar suffering at the same time, is a profound insult to the memory of those who were lost in both places.
In 1945, war criminals fled to the ends of the earth to evade justice, yet the Nuremberg trials ensured they were held accountable. The tide is turning on Israeli impunity. As the saying goes, “There are decades where nothing happens, and there are weeks where decades happen.” Those transformative weeks are approaching.
Every atrocity, every perpetrator, every accomplice, and every inciter of violence against the Palestinian people will be held accountable. Justice will prevail — this is a promise.
Farrah Koutteineh is the founder of KEY48 – a voluntary collective calling for the immediate right of return of over 7.4 million Palestinian refugees. Koutteineh is also a political activist focusing on intersectional activism including, the Decolonise Palestine movement, indigenous people’s rights, anti-establishment movement, women’s rights and climate justice.
Follow her on Twitter and Instagram: @key48return
Have questions or comments? Email us at: [email protected]
Opinions expressed in this article remain those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The New Arab, its editorial board or staff.
