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January 6 is here – The Jerusalem Post

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On January 6, 2021, an incited mob overran security forces and stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to stop the process of nominating the next president.

The mob attacked members of the media, some carrying merchandise associated with the MAGA movement or Donald Trump. Hours after the event began, Trump broke his silence and gave the mob a lukewarm request to stop.

On July 29, 2024, an incited mob overran security forces and stormed an IDF base in the south in an attempt to stop a trial investigating alleged crimes.

The mob attacked a member of the media. At least one man wore a blue “Total Victory” cap, which is associated with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Hours after the event began, Netanyahu broke his silence and gave the mob a lukewarm plea to stop.

The events unfolding at the Sde Teiman airbase in southern Israel as these words are being written are catastrophic.

Protesters wave Israeli flags outside the Sde Teiman detention center after Israeli military police arrived at the site as part of an investigation into alleged mistreatment of a Palestinian detainee, near Beersheba, southern Israel, July 29, 2024. (Source: REUTERS/Jill Gralow)

Sde Teiman has become a symbol of war. Since the October 7 massacre, suspected Hamas members have been held in a complex on the base. They have the status of “illegal combatants” and have no right to a lawyer. They are ultimately either returned to Gaza or transferred to an Israel Penitentiary Service detention center. The complex is guarded by military police and Israel Defense Forces reservists.

Demand the death penalty

A civil society organization appealed the conditions in Sde Teiman to the Supreme Court, and the Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet were forced to release some prisoners due to a lack of space in Israeli prisons.

Right-wing and extreme right-wing elements called for the death penalty for those detained in Sde Teiman and rejected judicial oversight of the conditions there. On the other hand, human rights organizations reported that some of those detained there had been tortured.

Matters escalated on Monday. Masked military police searched the compound after a prisoner was hospitalized with a serious rectal injury that officials believe was the result of torture or sodomy. The reservists in question resisted arrest and immediately posted videos on social media. Other soldiers from their unit who were not arrested reportedly surrendered their weapons and refused to continue their duties.

Coalition politicians, including ministers and Knesset members, responded with harsh criticism of the Israeli army, and some of them announced that they would head to the base. Channel 12 reporter Ori Izak was attacked. One Knesset member escaped security forces and fled to the base, followed shortly after by a mob. At least one other member also entered the base.

The events are devastating. Firstly, the pressure on reservists since October 7 has been enormous, and the fact that reservists have surrendered their weapons could lead to further refusals to serve on all political sides.

Second, Israel must investigate human rights violations to avoid international sanctions. A mob cannot and should not be able to prevent investigations.

Third, ministers and MPs are criticising Israel’s ailing judicial system, which authorised the arrests. The judicial system is the only effective check on government power, and the criticism is reminiscent of attempts to weaken it as part of the 2023 judicial reform.

And fourth, and perhaps most importantly, Israel must not become a place that accepts and encourages brutal torture. Israel’s strategic strength rests in part on its moral superiority and democratic norms. If we replace these with an unbridled, primal desire for revenge, we would be no better than our enemies. At the most fundamental level, this would mean a victory for Hamas.



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