Athens: The Sde Teiman detention centre in southern Israel was rocked by protests on Monday, with dozens of protesters, including members of the far-right Knesset party, clashing with military police.
Protesters waved Israeli flags and chanted “shame” to denounce the arrest and detention of nine Israel Defense Forces reservists accused of severely abusing a detained Palestinian man who had to be hospitalized.
As domestic political tensions continue to escalate and the war in Gaza shows no sign of stopping, many are wondering whether the high-profile torture of Palestinians in Israeli custody will exacerbate the political conflict in Israel.
The Sde Teiman protests were expected, especially given the rhetoric of Israeli lawmakers about the treatment of detained Palestinians. Israeli far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted on X on Monday: “Don’t touch our reservists!”
Some Israeli politicians have brazenly endorsed torture. Even more shockingly, when asked by a lawmaker whether there was any justification for having anal sex with a detainee, Likud MP Hanos Mildwidsky replied: “Yes! If he is a nuqba (Hamas fighter), everything is legal!”
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also condemned the arrest of Mr X and called for the release of the reservists, who he called “heroes of the IDF” and called for the dismissal of those who ordered their arrest.
Videos posted on social media also showed far-right MP Zvi Sukkot from the Religious Zionist Party and Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu from Otzma Yehudit entering the detention center in Sde Teiman.
The protests in Sde Teiman escalated after protesters realized the detained reservists were being held at the Beit Lid military base north of Tel Aviv, where they tried to break into the detention center to free the soldiers.
Several members of the reserve unit also joined the protest, wearing full military uniforms, although their faces were covered.
Allegations of torture of Palestinian detainees by Israeli forces have been mounting for years, particularly since the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, sparking a war in the Gaza Strip.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights released a report on Wednesday alleging that at least 53 Palestinians have died in Israeli custody since the war began, and that torture, including waterboarding, electric shock and sleep deprivation, has also been used.
The Israeli Prison Service has denied all the allegations, saying Israeli prisons do not violate prisoners' rights.
The OHCHR report further stated that more than 9,400 Palestinians were detained in Israel from October until the end of June, with many denied access to lawyers.
Since October 7, thousands of Palestinians, including doctors, patients, residents and captured fighters, have been taken from the Gaza Strip to Israel, “often in chains and blindfolded,” the OHCHR report said.
innumber
– 53 Palestinian detainee believed to have died in Israeli custody since Oct. 7
– 9,400 Palestinians were detained in Israel from October until the end of June.
Source: OHC
Thousands more are being held in the West Bank and in Israel, “generally in secret, without any justification for their detention, access to lawyers or effective legal scrutiny,” the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights added.
Testimony for the report suggests that Israel has abused detainees with “a multitude of despicable acts, such as water torture and releasing dogs to detainees,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in a statement accompanying the report.
Many of the freed Palestinians reported receiving treatment that “included severe beatings, electric shocks, being held in tense positions for extended periods of time, or water torture.” The report said detainees were blackmailed, “burned with cigarettes, and given hallucinogenic drugs.”
The report said there were “reasonable grounds to believe” that since October 7, Israel and Palestinian armed groups had “committed serious violations and violations … of the rights to life, liberty and freedom from torture and other ill-treatment.”
This includes the use of “rape and other forms of sexual violence,” and warns that the violations could amount to war crimes. In addition to calling for an end to the violations, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights called on all parties to “immediately end all forms of arbitrary detention, including the taking of hostages.”
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The report outlines “shocking” numbers of people detained, including men, women, children, journalists and human rights defenders.
“Inmates said they were locked in cages, stripped naked for long periods of time, wearing only diapers. Their testimonies described being blindfolded for long periods of time, deprived of food, sleep and water,” the summary report said.
Some detainees said their “hands were tied and they were hung from the ceiling,” while “some women and men also spoke of sexual and gender-based violence.”
According to the Prisoners Club, a Palestinian human rights watchdog, there are currently around 9,600 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, including hundreds more in administrative detention, where they can be held for long periods without charge.
Not all Israelis have come out in defense of the alleged actions of the captured reservists, nor have they supported the use of torture and other human rights violations against Palestinian detainees.
“Do you agree with rape? Is it part of Judaism?” Israeli human rights activist Yariv Oppenheimer responded to Belal Smotrich’s post on X.
Israeli writer Hen Massik condemned the protests, saying the media had been verbally and physically attacked.
“Israel’s investigation (of reservists) must be allowed to continue. This protest and the politicians who support it do nothing to help Israel. It only gives more information to those who hate us,” he posted on X on Monday.
Only a handful of Israeli government officials have condemned the protests and the detention center raid, with top officials including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Interior Minister Moshe Arbel condemning the protests and the detention center raid.
“Even in anger, the law applies to everyone. Never invade an IDF base and never violate the laws of the State of Israel,” Gallant posted on X.
“I call on the Israeli police to take immediate action against violators of the law and call on all elected officials to refrain from using irresponsible language that drags the IDF into the political arena,” he said in a separate post.
In a statement Monday, IDF General Staff Chief Herzi Halevi called the IDF base invasion “very serious and illegal.”
However, despite these condemnations, Israeli security forces at the IDF base ignored the protesters, and there were no reports of detention or arrests of anyone involved.
The day after the protests, a lively session of parliament took place after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the mob’s attack on an IDF base.
Despite efforts by right-wing activists and lawmakers to release the arrested reservists, eight of the 10 reservists had their detention extended this morning and will remain in custody until Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces reported.
The suspect could be charged with sexual assault, assault and misconduct in a military capacity, among other charges.
