A new Israeli government report has exposed what it describes as a systematic effort by Turkey-based anti-Israel groups to identify IDF soldiers with Turkish citizenship, gather information about them and their families, and turn that material into criminal complaints submitted to Turkish authorities.

The Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Ministry found that activists scour social-media accounts, particularly pages associated with Turkey’s Jewish community, looking for Israelis who served in the IDF. Once a person is identified, activists map family and social connections and analyze photographs and other online material in an attempt to determine the person’s IDF unit and military service. The information is then publicized and passed to lawyers for complaints to authorities in Ankara.

The report identified the Worldwide Lawyers Association and Freedom Watch Platform as central players in the effort. It also described a broader network of connections involving groups including IHH, Al-Haq and the U.S.-sanctioned Al-Mezan organization, as well as the Mavi Marmara and Freedom Flotilla groups. The documents also describe expressions of support for Hamas among activists in the network.

One case detailed in the report involved a former female IDF soldier with Israeli and Turkish citizenship. Activists allegedly located her through social-media posts, including one uploaded by her mother on the day she enlisted. They then analyzed photographs in an effort to identify her military affiliation, mapped other relatives serving in the IDF, published the information and filed a complaint. The report says efforts to identify dual Israeli-Turkish citizens who served in the IDF intensified earlier this year.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)