US: Israel should have ‘zero tolerance’ for abuse, rape of any Palestinian detainee
‘It’s essential that the rule of law and due process prevail,’ says White House after release of footage purporting to show alleged sexual assault of terror suspect at Sde Teiman
Israel should fully investigate allegations of sexual abuse of Palestinian detainees by its soldiers, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Wednesday, calling for “zero tolerance” for perpetrators.
Asked about a video aired by Israel’s Channel 12 news purporting to show soldiers at the Sde Teiman facility taking a detainee out of sight of surveillance cameras to carry out abuses and about broader allegations of abuses against prisoners, Miller said US officials had reviewed the video.
“We have seen the video, and reports of sexual abuse of detainees are horrific. They ought to be investigated fully by the government of Israel, by the IDF,” Miller said, referring to the Israel Defense Forces.
“There ought to be zero tolerance for sexual abuse, rape of any detainee, period… If there are detainees who have been sexually assaulted or raped, the government of Israel, the IDF need to fully investigate those actions and hold anyone responsible accountable to the full extent of the law.”
The White House also called the reports of rape, torture and abuse of Palestinian prisoners “deeply concerning.”
“It is essential that the rule of law and due process prevail,” said White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre.
A spokesperson for Israel’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
But the Israeli military, which runs some detention facilities where Palestinian prisoners have been held, said in response to earlier allegations that it operated according to the rule of law and any specific claims of abuse were investigated.
Channel 12’s release of the video came amid growing scrutiny over the treatment of Palestinian terror detainees at Sde Teiman. One IDF reservist soldier has already been indicted for suspected abuse at the facility, and five others are in military custody on suspicion of sodomizing a detainee with an object, along with other abuses.
The latter investigation sparked protests by right-wing Israelis, who broke into two military facilities after military police detained 10 soldiers over the incident, five of whom have since been released from custody. On Wednesday, right-wing activists and family members of hostages and October 7 victims disrupted a High Court of Justice hearing to protest against the justices’ to hear petitions seeking to close Sde Teiman.
“It is appropriate that the IDF in this case has announced an investigation has arrested a number of people who are alleged to have been involved,” the State Department’s Miller said.
“I won’t speak to the outcome of that investigation, but it ought to proceed swiftly, and if they are determined to be in violation of criminal laws or violations of the IDF’s code of conduct, then, of course, they ought to be held accountable.”
