Military Police investigators raided the Sde Teiman military base in southern Israel on Monday, arresting soldiers suspected of serious sexual abuse against a Palestinian detainee. This action has sparked significant backlash from far-right politicians and protesters.
The investigation, ordered by the Military Advocate General, Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, follows reports of severe abuse of a detainee captured during the Gaza conflict. The Palestinian detainee, associated with Hamas, was brought to a hospital with serious injuries, prompting the investigation.
At the Sde Teiman base, Military Police sought to detain ten soldiers guarding the detainee. Nine suspects were taken for questioning, while the tenth suspect was not immediately detained. The confrontation between soldiers and investigators was captured on footage, illustrating the heated tensions at the base.
The detainee abuse incident, which allegedly occurred three weeks ago, has drawn widespread condemnation from various political factions. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, along with other far-right Otzma Yehudit party members, protested the soldiers’ detention, labeling the arrests as “shameful.” Ben Gvir, whose ministry oversees the Israel Police and Israel Prison Service, joined other far-right politicians in calling for public demonstrations against the investigation.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also criticized the arrests, insisting that IDF soldiers should not be treated as criminals. Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Yuli Edelstein announced an urgent hearing to address the situation, condemning the actions of the Military Police and advocating for respect towards the soldiers.
Far-Right Rioters who entered the Beit Lid Military Base in Central Israel, are now attempted to break into the Base Prison, to Free the Reservist Soldiers who were Arrested earlier today at the Sde Teiman Detention Facility in the Negev Desert of Southern Israel, for their… pic.twitter.com/ZvuSVcch1J
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) July 29, 2024
The Sde Teiman facility, used to detain over 1,000 suspected terrorists from Gaza since the October 7 Hamas attack, has been under scrutiny following multiple reports of detainee abuse. The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) petitioned the High Court of Justice to close the facility, citing widespread mistreatment of prisoners, including extreme physical restraints and beatings.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently suggested limiting the use of Sde Teiman to short-term detention and questioning, a stance opposed by Ben Gvir. Following allegations of abuse, the IDF began phasing out the use of Sde Teiman, transferring detainees to other facilities.
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