ALBAWABA - According to Israeli media, a former female soldier with dual Turkish and Israeli citizenship was arrested in Turkey last week and then released after the US stepped in diplomatically.
The woman was in Istanbul to see her family when Turkish police arrested her for breaking laws that say Turkish citizens can't serve in foreign armed forces. At first, she was held for a few hours before being put under house arrest.
Social Media Campaign Led to Arrest
Reports say that she was arrested after an online campaign went after dual citizens who had served in the Israeli military before. The campaign started when the Israeli army released information about how many foreign nationals were serving in its ranks by country.
Activists on social media shared the names of female soldiers who had dual citizenship and said they were part of the "Zionist army." In some cases, information about the people's families and military units was also shared.
When activists found out that the ex-soldier was in Istanbul, they told the world who she was and told the Turkish government to take legal action against her right away.
Some posts also talked about a case that was supposedly opened at the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. They asked for an investigation based on Turkish Penal Code sections that deal with genocide and crimes against humanity.
U.S. Diplomatic Channels Opened
Reports say that Israel asked the US for help with diplomacy, and the US then talked to the Turkish government. After a number of diplomatic talks between the Israeli Foreign Ministry and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, the woman was set free.
