Nine Israeli soldiers were arrested on 29 July after evidence surfaced alleging they sexually abused and raped a Palestinian prisoner at the Sde Teiman detention facility in southern occupied lands, reported Israeli media outlet Haaretz.
The reservists were promptly taken to an Israeli Defense Forces military base, sparking a wave of violent protests by Zionist civilians who stormed the location and demanded their release.
The reservists were later moved to Beit Lid, the headquarters for Israel’s military courts and police, where new riots erupted and escalated further.
Mobs of Israelis breached the base, confronted soldiers, and accused them of betrayal. Footage recorded showed outraged Israelis slamming entrance doors and demanding the right to rape Palestinian prisoners.
Several members of parliament and Israeli Minister of Heritage Amichai Eliyahu were spotted amongst the crowd that stormed the base. Other rioters, identified as soldiers from the re-established Force 100 unit, were armed and masked, according to Haaretz.
A recorded Knesset meeting, shared on its official social media page, also showed members of parliament discussing the validity of raping prisoners.
“To insert a stick in a person’s rectum, is that legitimate?” One member of parliament asked. “Shut up. Yes, if he is a Nukhba [member of Hamas military wing] everything is legitimate to do,” shouted another member.
The IDF stated that the day’s events compromised national security, diverting attention from other critical issues. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the break-ins, while Defense Minister Yoav Gallant emphasized the severity of civilians storming a military base, warning of the potential harm to Israeli democracy.
SINCE 1948: ISRAEL’S USE OF SEXUAL ASSAULT ON PALESTINIANS
Israeli authorities’ support of sexual assault as a form of interrogation on Palestinian prisoners dates back to 1948 — the year of the Nakba, an event that saw nearly one million native Palestinians violently expelled from their lands by Zionist militias.
Since then, several Palestinian men, women, and children have been subject to sexual abuse, assault, and rape by Israeli security forces.
The Sde Teiman detention facility, the location of the most recent incident, has garnered a notorious reputation for becoming a torture camp for Palestinian prisoners.
The Israeli army confirmed an investigation into the nine soldiers’ crimes is underway. They are set to face a military court hearing once a judicial decision is reached. A case for the mob riots is also expected to be opened.
The incident and ensuing riot by Israeli Zionists shed further light on the country’s ongoing war crimes, as labeled by the International Criminal Court. Since the outbreak of the war on Gaza, Palestinian civilians have been met with unrelenting airstrikes, a lack of access to humanitarian aid, and the destruction of essential infrastructure, resulting in over 39,000 killed Palestinians and over 90,000 injured — many of whom were women and children.
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