Israeli military’s top lawyer resigns over leak of video allegedly showing abuse of Palestinian detainee
The Israeli military’s top lawyer has resigned after saying she was responsible for leaking a video allegedly showing soldiers sexually abusing a Palestinian detainee last year.
Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, military attorney general, had been on leave since a criminal investigation was opened by police earlier this week into the leak of surveillance video from the Sde Teiman detention center.
Five reserve soldiers have been charged over the incident.
Before his resignation, Defense Minister Israel Katz said that General Tomer-Yerushalmi would not be allowed to return to his post.
Warning: This story contains a description of alleged sexual abuse
In her resignation letter, Gen. Tomer-Yerushalmi said she took full responsibility for anything released to the media by the unit.
“I approved the release of documents to the media in an effort to counter false propaganda against army law enforcement,” she said.
This is a reference to efforts by some right-wing politicians in Israel to claim that the video and reports of detainee abuse were fabricated.
General Tomer-Yerushalmi continued: “It is our duty to investigate whenever there is reasonable suspicion of violence against a detainee. »
After his resignation was accepted by the chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Katz issued a statement welcoming the decision.
“Anyone who spreads slander against IDF soldiers is not fit to wear the army uniform,” he said.
The leaked video was broadcast on Israeli news channel Channel 12 in August 2024.
The footage shows soldiers at Sde Teiman taking a detainee aside, then surrounding him with riot shields to block visibility as he was stabbed in the rectum with a sharp object. The inmate was treated for serious injuries.
After Israeli military police visited Sde Teiman to question 11 reservists over the incident, far-right protesters broke into the facility to show their support.
Five reservists were subsequently charged with aggravated assault and battery on the detainee. They denied the accusations.
The video was seen as concrete evidence supporting multiple reports of abuse of Palestinian detainees since Hamas’ attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Right-wing politicians in Israel, however, condemned the leak of the video, calling it an attempt to defame the Israeli military.
Last year, a report by a UN commission of inquiry claimed that thousands of children and adults detained in Gaza had been “subjected to widespread and systematic abuse, physical and psychological violence, as well as sexual and gender-based violence, amounting to a war crime and a crime against humanity of torture and a war crime of rape and other forms of sexual violence.”
The Israeli government said it rejected accusations of widespread mistreatment and torture of detainees, and insisted it was “fully committed to international legal standards.” It also said it conducted thorough investigations into each complaint.
