Israeli journalist retracts call for ‘policy’ of sodomizing Palestinian terror suspects
Israel Hayom writer Yehuda Schlesinger says his comments on Channel 12 over suspected sodomy of Palestinian detainee at Sde Teiman detention facility were ‘wrong’ and a ‘mistake’
Right-wing journalist Yehuda Schlesinger on Thursday retracted comments he had made on a Channel 12 news broadcast justifying the suspected sodomy of a detained Palestinian terror suspect and then advocating that such acts should be standard state practice.
Five Israel Defense Forces reservists are in military custody in connection with the brutal sexual abuse of a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman detention facility, where many inmates are alleged to have taken part in the Hamas-led October 7 onslaught. Some on the right have decried the case as alleged persecution of IDF fighters by the justice system.
Referring to the controversial case, Schlesinger said on Wednesday: “The only problem is that it is not standard state policy to abuse these detainees. Because in general, they deserve it, and this is great revenge.” He added that it might also “serve as a deterrent.”
On Thursday, Schlesinger retracted his comments, telling Radio 103FM that he had received “completely justified criticism” and that “it was a mistake, I was wrong. One should not justify a criminal act.” He then went on to say that he stands by Israel enacting the death penalty for terror offenses.
The investigation into the suspected sexual abuse sparked protests by far-right extremists, including MKs, who broke into two military facilities last week after military police detained 10 soldiers over the incident, five of whom have since been released from custody.
Leaked footage broadcast by Channel 12 on Tuesday purported to show IDF servicemen sodomizing a Palestinian detainee at Sde Teiman. The footage showed soldiers taking aside one of the detainees, who had been lying face down on the floor, then surrounding him with riot shields while they allegedly committed the abuse. The detainee was subsequently taken away for medical treatment for severe injuries.
Sde Teiman detention facility was set up in the immediate aftermath of the October 7 onslaught in which about 3,000 Hamas-led terrorists burst across the border into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, mostly civilians. The facility was originally meant to be a preliminary processing point for terror suspects captured by the IDF.
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Wednesday that Israel should fully investigate allegations of sexual abuse of Palestinian detainees by its soldiers at detention facilities, calling for “zero tolerance” for perpetrators.
Also on Wednesday, right-wing activists and family members of hostages and October 7 victims disrupted a High Court of Justice hearing to protest the justices set to hear petitions to close Sde Teimen.
On Tuesday, the state responded to a human rights petition by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel at the High Court, admitting that Palestinian detainees have been kept restrained and blindfolded for long periods of time, but insisting such treatment is lawful due to the security needs of prison staff.
The state did not address the numerous reports of severe abuse, saying merely that all such reports were being investigated.
Jeremy Sharon, Sam Sokol and agencies contributed to this report.
