US calls for 'zero tolerance' of sexual abuse of Palestinians in Israeli detention facilities
The US State Department has called for a swift investigation into allegations of sexual abuse of Palestinian detainees by Israeli soldiers at the Sde Teiman detention facility, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Wednesday.
“There ought to be zero tolerance of any sexual abuse, rape, of any detainees, period,” said Miller at a press briefing.
"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," he continued.
Miller's comments come after Israel's Channel 12 leaked a surveillance video showing Israeli prison guards at the controversial Sde Teiman detention facility sexually abusing a blindfolded Palestinian detainee.
Yoel Donchin, the doctor who treated the prisoner, said he suffered from "a ruptured bowel, a severe injury to his anus, lung damage and broken ribs", Haaretz reported. Donchin told reporters that "he couldn't believe an Israeli prison guard could do such a thing".
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The Palestinian detainee has reportedly been returned to the Sde Teiman detention facility after receiving medical treatment, sparking an outcry from human rights organisations.
The incident took place in late July and led to the arrest of ten soldiers, which led to a mob, including members of the Knesset, breaking into two military facilities to protest against the arrest of the soldiers.
Several investigations by Middle East Eye, CNN and The New York Times as well as testimonies by former Palestinian detainees and eyewitnesses have repeatedly described incidents of torture and sexual abuse at Sde Teiman since the establishment of the facility after 7 October when the war on Gaza broke out after the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel.
More than 4,000 Palestinians from Gaza have been detained at Sde Teiman by the Israeli military, often held with no charge or evidence of wrongdoing.
Documented abuses included blindfolding, extreme physical restraint, prolonged handcuffing, and rape. Several people also reported being subjected to electric shocks.
Officers at Sde Teiman reportedly told the NYT that 35 Palestinians detained at the facility since October had died either at the facility or after being brought to nearby hospitals.
On 15 July, Israel's High Court issued a conditional order seeking to close Sde Teiman, in response to the reports of abuse there.
Government officials have responded to the High Court's order by acknowledging that detainees have been kept restrained and blindfolded for long periods of time, but insisted on the lawfulness of such treatment due to the security needs of prison staff, the Times of Israel reported.
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