Military Police arrest soldier suspected of raping female comrade

Suspect served in the same unit as the alleged victim; sexual assault said to have occurred in her barracks

Judah Ari Gross is The Times of Israel's religions and Diaspora affairs correspondent.

Illustrative. Handcuffs in a courthouse. (Abir Sultan/Flash90)
Illustrative. Handcuffs in a courthouse. (Abir Sultan/Flash90)

The Military Police arrested an IDF servicemen this week suspected of raping one of the female soldiers in his unit last month, the army said Thursday.

On Monday, the female soldier filed a complaint against the suspect, claiming that he had raped her multiple times the month before, the army said.

A day after the woman filed her complaint, the Military Police arrested the suspect.

According to Channel 10 news, the soldiers served in the mixed-gender Bardelas Battalion. This could not be confirmed with the IDF.

The suspect’s lawyers did not deny that their client and his accuser had sex, but claimed that it was consensual, according to a Ynet news report.

At least one of the alleged instances of rape was said to have occurred in her barracks on the base in southern Israel where they both served, the army said.

A Southern District Military Court decided to keep the suspect in jail until at least June 1.

“The investigation is ongoing,” the army said in a statement.

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