Israeli media reported Yesterday, that an Israeli tourist was “forced” to sign a form declaring that he did not take part in war crimes committed by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) upon checking into a hotel in Kyoto, Japan.
According to the reports, the Israeli tourist was asked to sign the form when presenting his Israeli passport to the Wind Villa Hotel staff, or face refusal of service. The tourist, who served as a “combat medic” in the Israeli navy, stated that the form contained sections on rape, the murder of people raising a white flag, and the committing of war crimes — practices that are well-documented and known actions of Israel.
“I have never planned, ordered, aided, abetted, or incited war crimes, nor have I participated in such acts. I pledge to continue complying with international law and humanitarian law and never to engage in war crimes in any form,” read the document.
Nothing to hide?
“This is absurd and ridiculous. I told him that we do not kill women and children, why would we do that?” said the Israeli, whose role as a “combat medic” means he also participated in field operations.
After the tourist refused to sign the document and told the hotel clerk that he wasn’t interested in “getting into politics,” the hotel employee clarified that signing the form was mandatory for every Israeli and Russian guest. The Israeli tourist eventually signed the form, declaring that he had nothing to hide, saying: “I did not commit war crimes, and no IDF soldier commits war crimes.”
He later referred the matter to the Israeli Ambassador to Japan, Gilad Cohen, who wrote a letter to Kyoto Prefecture Governor Takatoshi Nishwaki, complaining about the “discriminatory practices.”
Cohen argued that the form was requested “based solely on nationality,” causing significant emotional distress and discomfort to the Israeli tourist. The incident violated Japan’s Hotel Business Law and the values of “equality and non-discrimination shared between Israel and Japan,” the ambassador claimed, adding that this was not an isolated incident.
While Israeli officials and supporters lament the alleged “discrimination,” many others have welcomed the hotel’s stance, considering it a reasonable policy that should be adopted worldwide.
Commentators noted that the form would have been discriminatory if it had been applied to a Jewish person from any country other than Israel, but the mere need for the form speaks volumes about a nation built on ethnic cleansing and the displacement of Palestinians.
Israel upholds mandatory military service for most of its citizens from the age of 18, with men serving 32 months in active duty and women about 24 months. After this, Israelis enter reserve duty until their 40s, where they can be called to participate in military actions against Palestinians.
A well-documented genocidal campaign in Gaza
In addition to being a settler apartheid state since 1948, Israel has been carrying out an 18-month genocide that has killed a minimum estimate of over 50,000 Palestinians in Gaza, with thousands still missing under the rubble of civilian infrastructure destroyed by the entity.
As of March 22, the breakdown of the 50,000 figure includes 15,613 children, 8,304 women, 3,839 elderly, and 22,265 men. Of the children killed by the IOF, 825 were under 12 months old, and 274 children were born and killed during Israel’s genocide.
The World Health Organization reported that a quarter of the people injured in Israeli attacks in Gaza — estimated at 22,500 by July 2024 — have life-altering injuries that require but are not receiving rehabilitation, with severe limb injuries being the main type of injury needing care.
A United Nations report published in March 2025 by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry found that Israel committed systematic sexual and gender-based violence against Palestinians during its assault on Gaza.
The 49-page report details the destruction of reproductive health centers and targeted attacks on maternity wards, actions identified as aiming to prevent Palestinian births, fitting the legal definition of genocide. It also documents sexual violence against Palestinian detainees, including forced nudity and physical assaults, showing these abuses as part of standard IOF practices.
Such reports represent just the tip of the iceberg of Israelis crimes with much more documented since the establishment of the entity but especially since Palestinians in Gaza were forced to document their own annihilation since October 2023.
Israel renewed its blockade on Gaza on March 2, during the month of Ramadan, with no fresh food, water, or medicine entering the enclave for almost two months. This pushed the 2.1 million people on the brink of mass death, famine, and malnutrition — adding to Israel’s long history of using humanitarian aid as a weapon of war.
The UN World Food Programme announced earlier this week that it has completely run out of food aid in Gaza, forcing it to shut down food aid operations across the strip until the siege is lifted.
Rather than pointing to “discrimination,” the Israeli tourist’s outrage towards the Kyoto hotel rather exposes Israel and its nationals sense of immunity and disregard for Palestinian lives, raising the critical question: why are citizens complicit in such atrocities still allowed to travel freely in the first place?
AloJapan.com