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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant both condemned the protesters and Knesset members who broke into the Sde Teiman base on Monday.
By: Hezki Baruch – ArutzSheva.com
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the protesters who broke into the Sde Teiman base on Monday afternoon in protest of the arrest of IDF soldiers suspected of abusing a Hamas terrorist.
His staff stated ”Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls for immediate deescalation at Sde Teiman, and strongly condemns the break-in into an IDF base.”
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant responded: “IDF troops in both mandatory service and reserve duty have been fighting fiercely over the past nine months, in the most just war since the establishment of our State.”
“I commend our troops who carry out complex and important missions in the prison service, as those relate to the imprisonment of Hamas terrorists – vile terrorists whom we will bring to justice. ”
“The IDF will continue operating in accordance with the law.”
“We must enable professional authorities to carry out the necessary assessments, while ensuring the dignity and respect of our soldiers. ”
“Even in difficult times, the law applies to everyone – nobody may trespass into IDF bases or violate the laws of the State of Israel.”
Earlier, the military police raided the Sde Teiman detention facility which holds captured Hamas terrorists and arrested nine soldiers suspected of abusing a prisoner.
Dozens of protesters, including Knesset members Zvi Sukkot and Nissim Vaturi and Minister Amichai Eliyahu arrived at the base to support the soldiers. During the ensuing protest, they breached the gate and a large number of protesters entered the base.
“The break-in at the Sde Teiman Base is extremely serious and against the law. Breaking into a military base and disturbing the order there is severe behavior that is not acceptable in any way. We are in the midst of a war, and actions of this type endanger the security of the state. I strongly condemn the incident, and we are working to restore order at the base.”
“I fully support the Military Advocate General’s Corps and the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division in investigating every incident brought to their attention. This is their duty, regardless of rank or position. It is precisely these investigations that protect our soldiers in Israel and the world and preserve IDF values. These investigations are conducted while respecting the dignity of our soldiers, whom we command.”
President Isaac Herzog responded: “The morality of the IDF and its soldiers has always been our pride, to ourselves and to the family of nations and international law. This morality has stood and stands to the test even against the cruelest enemies, including the despicable terrorists whose hatred towards them is certainly understandable and justified. We must not forget that our enemies try to persecute us repeatedly, also on the international legal stage–the commanders, the fighters, and the elected officials. Under no circumstances should we give them claims against the IDF and the State of Israel.”
“The break-in of civilians into a military base, especially when encouraged and involved by public officials, is a serious, dangerous, illegal, and irresponsible act, which harms us first and foremost as a people and a state. I call on everyone, especially our elected officials, to show leadership–to calm down and calm others. I am confident that investigations and inquiries will bring out the truth, with all the required sensitivity, and I trust our IDF, its commanders, and its soldiers to act accordingly. We must all now support the soldiers and commanders of the IDF and the security forces who are in a tough battle and need to focus on dealing with immense challenges. The IDF is fulfilling its role. We are at war, and it is important to remember that at all times.”
Interior Minister Moshe Arbel responded: “The role of soldiers is to fight and win in war, not to guard terrorists; for this, Minister Ben Gvir received a vast budget for the prison service. Under no circumstances should there be vigilante justice, breaking into IDF bases, or obstructing law enforcement functions. These strictly forbidden actions might restrict Israel’s capability in the war.”
The terrorist who filed the complaint accusing IDF soldiers of abusing him at the Sde Teiman base is a company commander in the Hamas terrorist organization’s military wing. This was revealed Monday evening by Attorneys Nati Rom and Adi Keidar from the Honenu legal organization, who represent some of the soldiers who were questioned in the case.
The incident in question took place about three weeks ago when the terrorist was transferred that day from Ofer prison to Sde Teiman following a violent incident at the first prison in which he allegedly participated.
The soldiers, following standard procedure, searched the terrorist. During the search, according to the lawyers, the terrorist resisted and began to attack and bite the soldiers. One of the soldiers was even injured by the attack. The abuse the soldiers are accused of allegedly occurred during this search.
Rom and Keidar claimed that the military attorney’s office denied the soldiers legal representation for over two hours. After over two hours, the lawyers met three of the detainees.
Keidar said, “Shame, shame, shame. I am on my way to the soldiers who were arrested. As someone who was until recently a reserve soldier for 25 years, I am ashamed today, and especially in the recent period. Every day I advise our good soldiers, who left their families and went to serve the country in times of war, and find themselves In the interrogation rooms. Someone in the military prosecutor’s office has lost it. We will demand their release today.”
Rom added: “I am on my way to help a reservist, someone from a bereaved family, who performed hundreds of days of reservist service with great dedication, under difficult conditions in Sde Teiman. I spoke with his wife now, she was in tears. This incident sends shivers down my spine. This is something that should not have been done, certainly not in this manner. We hope all of the soldiers will be released immediately.”
Protests broke out at the Sde Teiman base Monday afternoon after masked Military Police investigators raided the base where Hamas Nukhba terrorists are being held and detained eight IDF reservists suspected of abusing a detained terrorist. The suspicions were reportedly based on medical findings in a hospital indicating the terrorist had suffered trauma to the buttocks while in custody.
Physical clashes broke out at the scene between the MPs and the reservists. During the arrests, several of the soldiers barricaded themselves in the base and refused to go into custody. The suspects are from Force 100, a special Military Police Corps unit for high-risk prison facilities.
Later, protestors managed to break into the military police base at Beit Lid Monday evening in protest against the arrest of the eight soldiers.
