(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Israeli Tourist in Morocco Detained for Gaza War Crimes [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-10-02 Morocco has become a tourist destination for Israelis since Morocco normalized relations with Israel. So it was not unusual for an IDF soldier who had finished his tour of duty in Gaza to be kicking up his heels in Marrakech. That soldier, Moshe Avichzer, was taken into custody by Moroccan authorities while on vacation for alleged war crimes in Gaza. Avichzer’s arrest followed his social media posts, where he shared images from his vacation in Morocco, alongside pictures of himself in Gaza amidst the destruction of Palestinian homes. The controversy surrounding these posts led to legal consequences while he was still traveling. According to the New Arab, a court in Rabat accepted the lawsuit, categorizing the accusations as terrorism-related. — MM News The lawsuit claims that Avichzer’s actions during the Gaza conflict included acts of genocide, ethnic cleansing, and other war crimes, which he allegedly boasted about on social media. — MM News Article 711-1 of Morocco's Criminal Procedure Code allows prosecuting individuals, whether Moroccan or foreign, for terrorism-related crimes committed outside Morocco, provided that they are on Moroccan soil. Additionally, the complaint leverages Morocco's anti-terrorism laws, which categorize acts such as genocide, ethnic cleansing, and other atrocities as terrorist offenses. These legal frameworks provide the basis for the charges against Avichzer. This is not the first use of the courts by opponents of normalization. A Moroccan anti-normalization group had recently filed a legal complaint against a group of Moroccan citizens who visited Israel and expressed support for its war on Gaza. The Observatory against Normalization alleges that the visit was sponsored by the Israeli government and constituted a serious crime. — Yabiladi These actions reflect the sentiment of a large majority of Moroccans who opposed normalization. According to a 2022 Arab Barometer poll, 70% of Moroccans opposed normalization, and that poll was long before the War in Gaza. Since the Gaza war, that opposition has transformed into a public outrage at what is seen as government collusion with Israel, while Israel is engaged in a genocide in Gaza. On October 15, 2023, one week after the start of the Gaza war, there was a demonstration of 300,000 people in Rabat. Morocco's normalization of relations with Israel jeopardized by war Several hundred thousand people marched in Rabat to show their support for the Palestinian people and call on the kingdom to end its rapprochement with Israel. In August of this year (2024), approximately 1.2 million Moroccans in 58 cities rallied in support of the Palestinians against the Gaza war and the normalization with Israel. As of this post, Moshe Avichzer has been unable to leave Morocco. Whatever the outcome of the court proceedings, this arrest is likely a harbinger of things to come. It is not only potential arrest warrants from the ICJ that Israelis need to be concerned with. Social media posts by IDF soldiers from Gaza bragging about activities that could serve as evidence in war crimes prosecutions expose them to risks they may be completely unaware of as they travel. IDF soldiers social media posts from Gaza I have not seen what Avichzer posted, so I have no idea if they justify his arrest. However, I have seen some disturbing posts that have been reported on in multiple media outlets. Israeli soldiers deployed in Gaza post their abuses on social media Israeli Soldiers Flaunt War Crimes on Social Media. Why Aren’t They Held Accountable? IDF's conduct, ethics under scrutiny following soldiers' social media posts Why the IDF permits soldiers to post to social media from Gaza is a mystery to me. They don’t permit the international press to hide their crimes and then let IDF soldiers post videos and photos bragging about their crimes. One post in particular stands out among the many posts of IDF soldiers humiliating Palestinians who have been stripped and paraded before the cameras. The IDF soldier posted the image to humiliate his Palestinian detainee and show what a tough guy he was. But the post went viral and had the opposite effect. Hamza Abu Halima is the man in the image. Shortly before Hamza, who is a plumber, was injured, detained, allegedly tortured, and humiliated, his father, Khamis Abu Halima, was killed by the IDF, along with Hamza’s sister-in-law and her two children, Khamis, 6, and Haya, 3. Hamza was later released as he had no connections to any armed group. According to Hamza’s brother, Bilal, the soldier asked his brother, Hamza, “Are you afraid of us?” to which he defiantly replied, “No, why should I be afraid of you?” The Internet dubbed the defiant Palestinian “the Lion of Gaza” (his name Hamza means lion in Arabic). Probably horrified that his post made him the coward and the Palestinian the hero to millions, the IDF soldier deleted the video. 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