Netanyahu says leaking of video ostensibly showing abuse of prisoners at Sde Teiman marks ‘a terrible libel’

Speaking at the Knesset, Netanyahu calls the leaking of a video ostensibly showing abuse against prisoners in the IDF’s Sde Teiman detention center has caused “a terrible libel.”

He says it has caused “indescribable damage to Israel and to the IDF.”

He says the video has been viewed over 100 million times worldwide, and prompted allegations that Israel runs concentration camps and comparisons of Israeli soldiers to Nazis.

“Difficult questions are being brought up,” he says, “very difficult questions.”

“Those charged with finding out the truth used their power to pervert the truth,” he charges, saying they gave ammunition to Israel’s worst enemies.

Former IDF military advocate general Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi resigned from her post and admitted to leaking a surveillance video that purported to show troops severely abusing a Gazan detainee at the Sde Teiman detention facility in southern Israel last year.

He says that the video was “edited” and suggests this was done to skew its content.

There has so far been no credible evidence that the video was inauthentic, and several soldiers have been indicted on charges of abuse in the case.

Netanyahu calls for an investigation into the Sde Teiman affair. “The question isn’t only what to investigate, and not only who is investigated, the critical question is who investigates the truth,” he says.