Alleged rape of Palestinian prisoner reveals deep divisions in Israel

Ultra-right Israeli nationalists stormed two military facilities late Monday to protest the arrest and questioning of nine Israel Defense Forces reservists suspected of raping and abusing a Palestinian prisoner whose injuries were so severe that he had to be hospitalized. Videos circulating on social media show guards at the Sde Teiman military base and prison near Beersheba in southern Israel shouting at and shoving military police who had arrived to question the reservists – apparently to defend the suspects.

The Sde Teiman facility houses Palestinians who have been arrested since the start of the Israeli offensive in Gaza. War against the Hamas rulers of the territoryin response to the group’s brutal terrorist attack on October 7.

The soldiers suspected of abuse were detained for questioning, a rare occurrence in Israel during an ongoing conflict. The reaction from far-right Israelis, including some senior government officials, was fierce. On Monday evening, a group of Israelis attempted to storm another military facility. One protester threatened to riot against the government if the suspects remained in custody.

The nine Israeli soldiers suspected of abuse were due to appear before a military court on Tuesday. Israelis have been shocked by the events, which have exposed the country’s deep political divisions.

A member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party justified the rape and abuse of Palestinian prisoners at a meeting of parliamentarians on Monday, angrily telling his colleagues who questioned the alleged behavior that anything can be done to imprisoned “terrorists.”

When Congressman Hanoch Milwidsky defended the alleged abuse, he was asked whether it was legitimate to “insert a stick into a person’s rectum.”

“Yes!” he shouted in response to his parliamentary colleague. “If he is a Nukhba (Hamas militant), everything is legitimate! Everything!”

Israel’s far-right security minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who is currently provocative actions since the beginning of the war, wrote in a post on social media: “Hands off the reservists.”

However, other senior Israeli officials, including Netanyahu and army commander Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, condemned the attack on the army base by far-right protesters.

“Invading a military base and disrupting order there is serious behavior that is in no way acceptable,” Halevi said in a statement, adding: “We are in the midst of a war and actions of this kind endanger the security of the state.”

Netanyahu called for calm and strongly condemned the protesters for their attempt to enter the IDF base. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned: “Even in difficult times, the law applies to everyone – no one may enter IDF bases without authorization or violate the laws of the State of Israel.”

United Nations agencies and human rights organizations, as well as officials in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and former detainees interviewed by international news agencies, have alleged abuses of Palestinians in Israeli detention centers.

The Israeli military insists that its prison camps are run in accordance with international law.