95. The world already knew this
Israeli police have detained senior military legal officer Advocate-General Maj.-Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, after she admitted to leaking footage of soldiers allegedly assaulting a Palestinian detainee.
Tomer-Yerushalmi leaked the video in August 2024.
She has now been detained on suspicion of fraud, breach of trust, abuse of office, obstruction of justice, and revealing official information as a public servant.
Broadcast in August 2024 on an Israeli news channel, the footage depicts reserve soldiers at the Sde Teiman military base in southern Israel detaining a person, then surrounding him with riot shields to obscure the view while he was reportedly beaten and stabbed in the rectum with a sharp object. The detainee was subsequently treated for severe injuries.
Five reservists were subsequently charged with aggravated abuse and causing serious bodily harm to the detainee.
In fact, in July 2024, prosecutors raided a military detention center, known for torture, and detained 11 soldiers for questioning.
They were identified as suspects in a violent attack on a Palestinian from Gaza, which involved anal rape. The victim was hospitalized with injuries including broken ribs, a punctured lung, and rectal damage. Tomer-Yerushalmi started an investigation.
Days later, five soldiers were charged with aggravated abuse and causing serious bodily injury. They have not been identified and are currently not in custody or under any legal restrictions.
Only one Israeli soldier has been convicted for assaulting Palestinians in detention during the war, despite extensive reports of torture and abuse within Israel’s jail system and the death of dozens of Palestinians in captivity.
No soldiers have been formally charged with killing civilians in Gaza, despite prominent attacks that caused global outrage.
The government claims she damaged Israel’s international reputation by pursuing the case and releasing the video, framing her efforts to prosecute extreme violence as an attempt to undermine the state.
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said, “The incident caused immense damage to the image of the state of Israel and the Israel Defense Forces. This is perhaps the most severe public relations attack that the state of Israel has experienced since its establishment.”
Her arrest and detention prompt serious questions regarding Israel's adherence to the rule of law and its responsibility for the abuse and killing of Palestinians.
But what was new about this? The world already knew it.
(Top Photo: IDF Military Advocate-General Maj.-Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi)