FactCheck: what about the Britons

who fight for Israel?

By Patrick Worrall-July 7, 2014
The claim
We have British citizens going over to ight in the !sraeli army"
#ester$ay %e kno% they are taking &art in the collective &unishment o a
civilian &o&ulation" That's a crime"(
)aroo* +i$$i*ui, , July 2014
-n e.-a$viser to the government on tackling e.tremism in Britain's /uslim
communities raise$ an interesting &oint on 0hannel 4 1e%s in relation to
Brits %ho ight in conlicts a2roa$"
)aroo* +i$$i*ui, ormerly o the Prevent &rogramme, is calling or the 34 to
sto& criminalising young /uslims %ho travel to +yria to ight against Bashar
al--ssa$"
+ecurity service estimates suggest aroun$ 500 Britons have travelle$ to
+yria to take &art in the civil %ar"
/r +i$$i*ui aske$ %hy the government has threatene$ to arrest British
/uslims %ho return rom +yria %hile it allo%s young &eo&le to ight or
!srael an$ other countries %ith im&unity"
! %e're talking a2out sto&&ing &eo&le, /uslims, sto&&ing them rom going
over to other countries an$ ighting, %hy are %e not $oing that as a 2lanket
or sto&&ing anyone that goes over a2roa$ to ight in other countries6(
!s /r +i$$i*ui right to say that young Brits are ighting or the !srael
7eense )orces 8!7)9 %hile the !sraelis are engage$ in controversial strikes
against Palestinian targets ollo%ing the mur$er o three Je%ish teenagers6
The analysis
/ost !sraeli citizens are o2lige$ to $o national service o u& to t%o-an$-a-
hal years in the country's military, an$ so a signiicant num2er o British-
2orn !sraelis or immigrants %ith $ual nationality %ill inevita2ly :oin !srael's
arme$ orces or a s&ell"
But you $on't have to 2e a citizen o the Je%ish state to ight or the !7)"
The !sraeli military runs a &rogramme calle$ ;mahal( %hich allo%s non-
!sraeli nationals o Je%ish $escent to :oin the ranks o the arme$ orces or
an 1<-month tour o $uty"
-ccor$ing to the rules, British men un$er 24 or %omen un$er 21 %ho have
one &arent or gran$&arent %ho is or %as Je%ish are eligi2le"
That's Je%ish 8you nee$ to &rove it 2y getting a ra22i to sign a conirmation9
not !sraeli"
=verseas recruits get the same &ay an$ con$itions as !sraelis an$ ;serve
al%ays shoul$er to shoul$er %ith regular !sraeli sol$iers("
The num2ers o volunteers rom the 34 are small 2ut signiicant> the !7)
tol$ 0hannel 4 1e%s there are ;aroun$ one hun$re$ Brits currently serving(
in its ranks"
There is a even a su&&ort grou& or British &arents o !7) sol$iers
calle$ /ahal /ums"
We're not a%are o anyone *uestioning the legality o this arrangement"
3nlike some other countries, Britain $oes not have an eective
la% &rohi2iting its citizens rom ighting or oreign armies"
There is an o2scure &iece o legislation still on the statute 2ooks ?
the )oreign @nlistment -ct 1<70 ? %hich ostensi2ly makes it illegal or
British citizens to :oin the arme$ orces o a country ighting a state at
&eace %ith Britain"
But this &rove$ to 2e em2arrassingly ineective %hen &rosecutors
attem&te$ to sto& British volunteers rom ighting in the +&anish 0ivil War
in the 1A,0s"
The lack o any &ractical 2an on oreign enlistment lea$s to the slightly o$$
situation %here a teenager can travel to +yria to ight or the 2rutal -ssa$
regime %ith im&unity, 2ut i he si$es %ith enemies o the regime he coul$
ace &rosecution as a terrorist 2ack in Britain"
This is 2ecause o the 2roa$ sco&e o anti-terror legislation" !n the Bueen's
+&eech last month, the government set out ne% la%s %hich mean Brits %ho
travel overseas to train or acts o terrorism against any government %ill 2e
&rosecute$ as i their actions ha$ taken &lace in the 34"
!n /ay /ashu$ur 0hou$hury, ,1, rom Portsmouth, 2ecame the irst Briton
to 2e convicte$ o engaging in con$uct in &re&aration or terrorist acts ater
atten$ing a training cam& in +yria"
0hou$hury %asn't threatening the 34, he %as training to ight -ssa$ ? %ho
7avi$ 0ameron also %ante$ to target %ith military action 2eore losing a
0ommons vote last year"
But a su&reme court :u$gement rom last year rule$ that the legal $einition
o terrorism can inclu$e ;any or all military attacks 2y a non-state arme$
grou& against any or all state or inter-governmental organisation arme$
orces in the conte.t o a non-international arme$ conlict("
+o i someone ights in a civil a %ar against a regime the British
government hates - even i they ight or a mo$erate action not 2anne$ as
a terror organisation - they can still 2e &rosecute$ as a terrorist"
War crimes6
/r +i$$i*ui is not the only &erson to have accuse$ !srael o %ar crimes over
its recent actions in the West Bank an$ Caza in the %ake o the killings o
three !sraeli teens"
-mnesty !nternational has echoe$ his use o the %or$s ;collective
&unishment(, saying> ;Justice %ill not 2e serve$ 2y !srael seeking revenge
2y im&osing collective &unishment, or committing other violations o
Palestinians' rights"(
0ollective &unishment against a civilian &o&ulation is 2anne$ un$er the
ourth Ceneva 0onvention"
But in the a2sence o any legal case 2rought against the !7),
the suggestion that !sraeli air strikes, arrests, shootings an$ $emolition o
2uil$ings constitute ;collective &unishment( o the Palestinians remains
an un&roven allegation"
Do% likely is it that Britons have 2een $irectly involve$ in clashes %ith
Palestinians in recent $ays6 1ot sur&risingly, %e $on't have inormation on
the movements o in$ivi$ual !7) sol$iers"
But there is no reason %hy they %oul$ not 2e involve$" The rules o mahal
state that overseas recruits are lia2le to 2e &icke$ or the same rontline
com2at units as !sraeli conscri&ts, inclu$ing inantry, tanks an$ s&ecial
orces"
The ver$ict
!t %as ne%s to )act0heck, 2ut there are aroun$ 100 British nationals serving
%ith the !7) as %e s&eak, a&&arently %ith no legal $iiculties"
But a Brit %ho trains or ights %ith any anti--ssa$ re2el grou& runs the risk
o 2eing :aile$ as a terrorist"
! %e are %orrie$ a2out young British /uslims hea$ing o to the /i$$le @ast
to receive military training, shoul$ %e 2e e*ually %orrie$ a2out Je%s6
That $e&en$s on %hether /r +i$$i*ui is :ustiie$ in com&aring the
e.&erience o serving in a &roessional army overseas to ighting alongsi$e
!slamist militant grou&s in +yria" = course this is a &olitically-charge$ an$
highly $e2ata2le &oint"
De insiste$ in the intervie%> ;!t is a ighting orce, %hether you %ant to say
it's $isci&line$ or it's a militia" The eect on the in$ivi$ual, the eect on the
com2atant is still the same"(