Former IDF Legal Chief at the Center of Explosive Scandal
The scandal surrounding a leaked video allegedly showing the brutal abuse of a Palestinian detainee by Israeli soldiers has escalated dramatically, leading to the arrest of former Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Advocate General, Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi.
Tomer-Yerushalmi, who resigned last week, had publicly stated she was taking full responsibility for the leak of the controversial footage.
The situation took an even darker turn on Sunday, when she was reported missing, prompting a several-hour police search along a northern Tel Aviv beach. She was later found alive and in good condition and taken into custody for questioning.
Leaked Video Shows Shocking Abuse
The video, which surfaced in August 2024 on an Israeli news channel, allegedly shows reserve soldiers at the Sde Teiman military base in southern Israel assaulting a Palestinian detainee.
According to the footage, the detainee was isolated, then surrounded by soldiers using riot shields to obstruct visibility, before being beaten and assaulted with a sharp object in the rectum. The victim was later hospitalized with severe injuries.
Five reservists were subsequently charged with aggravated assault and causing serious bodily harm, but have denied all allegations.
On Sunday, four of the accused appeared outside the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, their faces covered, while their defense attorneys called for the case to be dismissed.
Adi Keidar, a lawyer from the far-right legal aid organization Honenu, denounced the proceedings as “a biased and entirely fabricated legal process.”
Political Fallout and Internal Power Struggles
A criminal investigation into the video leak was launched last week. On Friday, Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed that Tomer-Yerushalmi would not return to her post, prompting her immediate resignation.
In her resignation letter, she acknowledged authorizing the release of the material to the media, stating:
“I approved the publication of the footage in an attempt to counter false propaganda against the army’s law enforcement authorities.”
She also stressed that every credible report of violence against detainees must be investigated, countering claims from right-wing political figures that the allegations were fabricated.
Following her resignation, Defense Minister Katz sharply condemned her actions, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the Sde Teiman incident as “perhaps the most severe public relations crisis Israel has faced since its founding.”
Arrests and Escalating Legal Crisis
Shortly after reports of her disappearance emerged, Israeli police confirmed that Tomer-Yerushalmi had been located safe in the coastal area of Herzliya.
A police spokesperson later announced that two individuals had been arrested on suspicion of leaking classified information and other serious offenses.
Israeli media identified the two as Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi and former Military Prosecutor Colonel Matan Solomosh.
A Case Exposing Deep Divisions in Israel
The Sde Teiman case has become a flashpoint in Israel’s internal divisions, exposing rifts between the military, political leadership, and the justice system.
The brutality shown in the leaked footage, combined with the politicization of military accountability, has triggered a national debate about morality, transparency, and the rule of law within Israel’s defense establishment.
As the investigation continues, questions grow over who authorized the acts, why accountability was delayed, and how far the political leadership will go to contain the fallout.
