JERUSALEM – On Friday, Israel’s leading military prosecutor stepped down after admitting she leaked footage showing soldiers mistreating a Palestinian detainee in a well-known military detention center. This confession was detailed in excerpts from her resignation letter, which Israeli media outlets have published.
Her revelation has ignited a wave of criticism, particularly from the right-wing factions prevalent in Israeli politics, who accuse Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi of betraying the nation through her actions.
This situation highlights the challenges Tomer-Yerushalmi faces, particularly as she is often perceived internationally as lenient regarding the wartime behavior of Israeli soldiers. Her position is made more precarious by Israel’s far-right political atmosphere and ongoing efforts by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies to reform the country’s judiciary.
The controversial video, which surfaced last year on Israel’s Channel 12, allegedly depicts soldiers at the Sde Teiman detention facility in southern Israel assaulting a Palestinian detainee from Gaza.
At the time, Israel’s military had launched an investigation and detained several soldiers suspected of involvement, sparking outrage among hardline ultranationalists who violently protested at the facility.
In her resignation statement, Tomer-Yerushalmi explained she leaked the video to address criticism that the military was seemingly favoring Palestinian detainees over Israeli servicemen.
According to excerpts of the letter published in Israeli media, she wrote that the military had a “duty to investigate when there is reasonable suspicion of violence against a detainee.
“Unfortunately, this basic understanding — that there are actions which must never be taken even against the vilest of detainees — no longer convinces everyone,” she wrote.
Defense Minister Israel Katz and a chorus of Israeli politicians castigated Tomer-Yerushalmi following her resignation, and Katz said she would not be reinstated. He said investigations would continue into those involved in the decision to leak the video.
Throughout the war, Israel’s treatment of Palestinian detainees from Gaza — especially at the Sde Teiman facility where the incident took place — has been characterized by rights groups as abusive. Detainees have been rounded up en masse and brought to detention facilities where they could be held for months without charge or trial. Many released detainees have reported frequent beatings from prison guards, scant food and awful conditions.
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