The former top lawyer in the Israeli military has been arrested, as a political showdown deepens over the leaking of a video that allegedly shows severe abuse of a Palestinian detainee by Israeli soldiers. Maj Gen Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi resigned as the Military Advocate General of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) last week, saying that she took full responsibility for the leak. On Sunday, the story took a darker turn when she was reported as missing, with police mounting an hours-long search for her on a beach north of Tel Aviv. She was subsequently found alive and well, police said, but was then taken into custody.
The fallout from the leaked video is intensifying by the day. Broadcast in August 2024 on an Israeli news channel, the footage shows reserve soldiers at the Sde Teiman military base in southern Israel taking aside a detainee, then surrounding him with riot shields to block visibility while he was allegedly beaten and stabbed in the rectum with a sharp object. The detainee was treated for severe injuries.
Five reservists were charged with aggravated abuse and causing serious bodily harm to the detainee. They have denied the charges and have not been named. On Sunday, four of the reservists wore black balaclavas to hide their faces as they appeared at a news conference outside the Supreme Court in Jerusalem along with their lawyers, who demanded the dismissal of their trial.
The Sde Teiman incident has been a lightning rod for the division between the left and right in Israel. On the right, the leaking of the video is denounced as a defamation of the Israeli military, all but amounting to an act of treason; while on the left, Gen Tomer-Yerushalmi's decision to enable the footage to be released is seen as upholding her responsibilities. The ongoing situation highlights the contentious nature of military conduct and human rights in Israel amidst a backdrop of regional conflict.
The fallout from the leaked video is intensifying by the day. Broadcast in August 2024 on an Israeli news channel, the footage shows reserve soldiers at the Sde Teiman military base in southern Israel taking aside a detainee, then surrounding him with riot shields to block visibility while he was allegedly beaten and stabbed in the rectum with a sharp object. The detainee was treated for severe injuries.
Five reservists were charged with aggravated abuse and causing serious bodily harm to the detainee. They have denied the charges and have not been named. On Sunday, four of the reservists wore black balaclavas to hide their faces as they appeared at a news conference outside the Supreme Court in Jerusalem along with their lawyers, who demanded the dismissal of their trial.
The Sde Teiman incident has been a lightning rod for the division between the left and right in Israel. On the right, the leaking of the video is denounced as a defamation of the Israeli military, all but amounting to an act of treason; while on the left, Gen Tomer-Yerushalmi's decision to enable the footage to be released is seen as upholding her responsibilities. The ongoing situation highlights the contentious nature of military conduct and human rights in Israel amidst a backdrop of regional conflict.
