Israel arrests top military lawyer over leaked Palestinian detainee torture video

Israeli police arrested outgoing Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi and retired Colonel Matan Solomesh, the army’s former chief military prosecutor, as part of an inquiry into the leak of a video showing Israeli soldiers sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman military prison in southern Israel, local media reported on Monday.

Tomer-Yerushalmi was detained on suspicion of obstruction of justice and breach of trust, Israel’s public broadcaster KAN said.

She was interrogated on accusations of obstructing the investigation, leaking classified material and giving false testimony after being linked to the release of the footage. Police say she lied to two chiefs of staff, the Supreme Court, defendants and the public.

KAN said messages and testimony in police possession indicate Solomesh knew Tomer-Yerushalmi was behind the leak but failed to report it when an internal probe was launched.

Court extends Tomer-Yerushalmi’s detention

The daily Yedioth Ahronoth said Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court decided to extend the military prosecutor’s detention by three days.

Judge Shelly Kotin said the suspicions against Tomer-Yerushalmi include fraud and breach of trust, abuse of power, obstruction of justice and disclosure of information by a public servant.

“The duration of the investigation, the personal circumstances of the suspect and the findings of the initial examination indicate that the investigation should be allowed to continue while she remains in custody,” she added in her decision.

Yedioth Ahronoth said police also requested a five-day extension of Solomesh’s detention as part of the investigation.

Tomer-Yerushalmi resigned on Friday, ending a term that began in 2021, amid the uproar over who leaked the video, which triggered local and international outrage and calls to shut down the notorious Sde Teiman jail.

Video leaked ‘to counter false propaganda’

In her resignation letter to Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, published by Haaretz daily, Tomer-Yerushalmi wrote: “I authorised the release of material to the media to counter false propaganda against the military law-enforcement system.” She added she takes “full responsibility” for any material that reached the press.

The paper said prominent right-wing figures continued to incite against her after the video surfaced. Defence Minister Israel Katz said she would not return to her post “due to the gravity of the suspicions,” and signalled he will soon appoint an interim replacement and launch the process to name a new Military Advocate General.

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said on Telegram that Tomer-Yerushalmi was placed under strict supervision in custody “for her own safety.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday the abuse incident at Sde Teiman was “the most damaging” to Israel’s image and that of its army.

The leaked video, published in August 2024, showed soldiers surrounding a handcuffed, shackled Palestinian detainee lying face-down and beating him with riot shields. The detainee, whose identity was not released, was later hospitalised with severe injuries.

In February, military prosecutors charged five soldiers over the assault. The indictment says the soldiers beat the detainee after he was brought to the facility on July 5, 2024, causing multiple fractures and internal rectal tearing.

A court imposed a gag order on the defendants’ names. They are not in custody and face no restrictive conditions.

More than 10,000 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons, including women and children, and face torture, starvation and medical neglect, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights groups. Several detainees have died in custody.

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Source: TRT