Israeli soldiers suspected of raping Palestinian prisoner arrested, sparking far-right riot
Nine Israeli soldiers in the notorious Sde Teiman detention centre were arrested on Monday on suspicion of raping a Palestinian detainee, sparking a riot where far-right activists and MPs stormed the facility.
Israeli military police raided Sde Teiman but were met with resistance by soldiers, who reportedly barricaded themselves into the facility and used pepper spray to defend themselves before eventually being taken into custody.
The soldiers were suspected of abusing a Palestinian detainee, who according to Arab48 is suffering from "a serious wound in his rectum area".
The prisoner had been transferred from Sde Teiman in the Negev desert to a hospital in Beersheba, which is also in southern Israel. Haaretz said the prisoner is unable to walk.
The Israeli army said an investigation is underway.
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The arrests were met with outrage by right-wing Israelis, with protests in solidarity called across Israel.
Dozens of people, reportedly including members of parliament and Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, gathered outside Sde Teiman and stormed the detention facility.
Dozens of protesters, including members of parliament and Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, gathered outside Sde Teiman and stormed the detention facility on Monday to stand in solidarity with nine soldiers suspected of raping a Palestinian detainee. pic.twitter.com/Zlmh8jpX99
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Hours later, some 1,200 rioters gathered outside the Beit Lid base, where the nine suspects were taken for questioning.
Dozens of people broke into the base before being dispersed by police, who made no arrests at the scene.
The break-ins prompted condemnation by the military chief of staff Herzi Halevi who described them as "bordering on anarchy" and said they harmed the military.
Halevi had to leave discussions on how to attack Lebanon following the Golan strike, and instead visited the Beit Lid base amid the riots.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the storming of Sde Teiman and called for "immediate calming of spirits".
Israel's parliament, the Knesset, is currently on a summer break but will hold an emergency discussion on Tuesday, called by MPs who want to defend the soldiers, Israeli media reported.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich described the suspects as as "heroic warriors", while National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who oversees the prisons where Palestinians are detained, called them the “best heroes” and described the arrests as “shameful”.
'Acting outside any law'
Palestinians have long reported abuse inside Israeli prisons, jails and detention centres, including torture and sexual abuse.
However, since the 7 October Hamas-led attack on Israel and subsequent war on Gaza, Palestinians have reported systematic torture and abuse, and been detained in far higher numbers, often without charge.
Palestinians detained by Israeli forces since the start of the war have previously told Middle East Eye how they were physically tortured with dogs and electricity, subjected to mock executions, and held in humiliating and degrading conditions.
There have been various reports in recent months of Palestinian prisoners being raped by Israeli soldiers and prison guards using metal rods and fire extinguishers.
Addameer, an NGO supporting Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, says there are 9,700 Palestinian political prisoners held by Israel.
On Sunday, Ben Gvir confirmed that conditions inside Israeli prisons “have indeed worsened", adding: "I am proud of that.”
The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel condemned the alleged rape of the Palestinian detainee.
“Since the beginning of the war, we claimed that the Sde Teiman was operating as an 'ex-territory', and the soldiers stationed there were acting outside any law - first in their treatment of detainees, and now towards military law enforcement agents,” it said.
“Instead of absolute condemnation, some Israeli far-right leaders have rallied to support the suspects of abuse, which is emblematic of the root causes that enable such abuse to happen in the first place."
On 15 July, Israel's High Court issued a conditional order seeking to close Sde Teiman in response to the reports of abuse there.
The court’s order seeks an explanation to "why the Sde Teiman detention facility is not operated in accordance with the conditions set forth in the law governing internment of unlawful combatant”.
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