Netanyahu, Herzog appeal for ‘calm’ after mob storms IDF base with far-right MKs
Right-wing politicians furious after Military Police arrest 9 soldiers suspected of seriously abusing Gaza terror detainee at Sde Teiman; IDF chief: Break-in ‘endangers country’
Right-wing politicians reacted with fury and outrage, and some joined a riot led by nationalist activists, while others appealed for calm, after nine IDF soldiers were detained by Military Police investigators at the Sde Teiman base on Monday amid an investigation into alleged severe abuse against a Palestinian terror detainee.
A group of far-right activists rioted outside the Sde Teiman IDF base in the south, and dozens — including Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu of Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionism MK Zvi Sukkot — broke into the facility, which is being used as a detention center for Palestinian terror suspects. Police officers later arrived at the site and began removing the protesters. It was not immediately clear how many took part and if any were arrested.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement calling for “an immediate calming of passions in the Sde Teiman base.” He also said he “strongly condemns” the break-in into the IDF base where Hamas terror suspects are held.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also criticized the break-in, saying that “even in times of anger, the law applies to everyone.”
“The IDF will continue to act in accordance with the law,” Gallant said in a statement. “We must allow the authorized parties to carry out the necessary investigations while maintaining the dignity of our soldiers.”
Unrest erupted when Military Police investigators showed up at Sde Teiman on Monday to detain soldiers suspected of “serious abuse of a detainee” held at the base, according to the military. The investigation was launched after a detained terror suspect was brought from the base to a hospital with signs of serious abuse, including to his anus.
A heated argument broke out between the Military Police investigators and soldiers at the base, and a group of far-right lawmakers and activists headed toward Sde Teiman to join the fracas, outraged at the detention of the soldiers. Some of those gathered outside then broke into the base itself.
A number of protesters later moved to gather outside the IDF’s Beit Lid base in central Israel, where the nine soldiers are being questioned over their alleged involvement in the abuse.
Shanna Orlik of the activist Hitorerut movement filed a police complaint against Sukkot for breaking into Sde Teiman, which she pointed out is a criminal offense punishable by a prison sentence.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi sharply condemned those who broke into the base.
“The incident of breaking into the Sde Teiman base is extremely serious and against the law. Breaking into a military base and disturbing the order there is serious behavior that is not acceptable in any way,” Halevi said in a statement issued by the IDF. “We are at war, and actions of this kind endanger the security of the country.”
UPDATE: Right-wing Israeli politicians, including MK Zvi Succot of the Otzma Yehudit party, breached the IDF's Sde Teiman base in protest after 9 soldiers were detained for questioning regarding the mistreatment of a terrorist. https://t.co/6lEVFHNE0b pic.twitter.com/WR79v2nOgw
— Breaking News (@TheNewsTrending) July 29, 2024
Halevi said he supports the investigation by Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi and the Military Police into the suspected abuse: “It is precisely these investigations that protect our soldiers in Israel and the world and preserve the values of the IDF.”
President Isaac Herzog also weighed in on the heated moment, stating that “breaking into a military base by civilians, and certainly when it is done with the encouragement and involvement of elected officials, is a serious, dangerous, illegal and irresponsible act, which first and foremost harms us as a people and as a country.”
Herzog called on elected officials “to show leadership — to relax and calm down.” He expressed confidence that investigations will get to the truth, saying that he trusts “our IDF, its commanders and soldiers to act accordingly.”
Justice Minister Yariv Levin blamed the High Court of Justice — which he frequently criticizes — for the arrests of the soldiers, claiming that the move justifies the revival of his since-suspended judicial overhaul effort.
“I was shocked to see the difficult pictures of soldiers being arrested at Sde Teiman the way dangerous criminals are arrested,” Levin said, arguing that the soldiers in question had been engaged in “holy work” and that their arrest was the result of a “moral distortion that starts from the top, from judgments and decisions of the High Court.”
“Today, many are voicing the demand for a fundamental change in the situation,” he said. “The time has come for this justified public outcry to find a listening ear among Knesset members who in the past refrained from supporting the implementation of the necessary changes.”
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara defended the law enforcement agencies that ordered and carried out the arrest of the soldiers, saying that the army must act in accordance with the law.
“I give my full backing to the Military Advocate General, the law enforcement agencies in the IDF, and the Israel Police,” the attorney general said.
“The law enforcement agencies are obligated to examine suspicions of criminal activity,” she added.
The Palestinian detainee who was allegedly the subject of the abuse in Sde Teiman was arrested by the IDF in the Gaza Strip several weeks ago.
According to an Army Radio report, the abuse itself took place some three weeks ago at Sde Teiman, and the terror suspect was found at the military base in critical condition and taken to a hospital for treatment and surgery. He is now no longer in life-threatening condition.
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid also condemned those who broke into Sde Teiman, saying their actions constituted “despicable and dangerous criminality” that only serve to weaken the IDF and “erode the foundations of our power from within.”
“The politicians who abandoned the hostages, abandoned security and destroyed Israeli society are now destroying the chain of command,” Lapid declared. “The country is in existential danger if these people do not leave power.”
Many members of Netanyahu’s right-wing government expressed outrage at the arrests of the soldiers on Monday.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said it was “shameful” for Israel to arrest “our best heroes,” while Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that “IDF soldiers deserve respect” and must not be treated as “criminals.”
In a video filmed at the base, Sukkot declared that “we cannot investigate the soldiers until we investigate those who failed” to prevent October 7. Taking up a megaphone, he told protesters: “We have no other army, this is an important demonstration, let’s go outside and not fight with the soldiers.”
Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Yuli Edelstein announced amid the outcry that he will hold an urgent hearing on Tuesday to discuss the situation.
“I will not lend a hand to scenes like the one seen today at the base in Sde Teiman,” Edelstein said. “A situation in which masked military policemen raid an IDF base is not acceptable to me, and I will not allow it to happen again. Our soldiers are not criminals and this contemptible pursuit of our soldiers is unacceptable to me.”
A petition to the High Court of Justice by the Association of Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) has urged it to order the state to close the Sde Teiman after reports emerged in recent months of abuse at the facility.
The reports alleged widespread abuse of prisoners, including extreme use of physical restraints, beatings, neglect of medical problems, arbitrary punishments and more.
Earlier this month, Netanyahu told the High Court that Sde Teiman should only be used for short-term detention and questioning of Palestinian security detainees caught in Gaza.
Terror operatives and other suspects are generally initially held in detention facilities at the IDF’s Sde Teiman, Anatot and Ofer bases, before being handed over to the Israel Prison Service. The detainees are legally allowed to be held for 45 days before they must be either released or moved into the care of the IPS.
The IDF announced in May that it was investigating reports of abuse and torture of detainees in Sde Teiman following reports that the prisoners were being severely mistreated. Tomer-Yerushalmi, the military advocate general, said that as of the end of May, the military had opened 70 investigations that it was treating “very seriously.”
Following the abuse and torture allegations and the ACRI’s petition to the High Court, the state announced that the IDF would phase out the use of Sde Teiman, and prisoner transfers began immediately.
