The former top lawyer in the Israeli military has been arrested, as a political showdown deepens over the leaking of a video that allegedly shows severe abuse of a Palestinian detainee by Israeli soldiers.
Gen Tomer-Yerushalmi was put on leave while the inquiry took place.
Shortly after that, Gen Tomer-Yerushalmi resigned.
Hours later, the first reports began appearing in the Israeli media that Gen Tomer-Yerushalmi was missing, sparking fears that a political scandal had taken a turn towards tragedy.
Israeli media reported that the pair were Gen Tomer-Yerushalmi and the former chief military prosecutor, Col Matan Solomosh.
A political standoff over the release of a video purportedly showing severe abuse of a Palestinian detainee by Israeli soldiers has resulted in the arrest of the former top lawyer in the Israeli military.
Last week, Maj Gen Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi announced her resignation as the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) Military Advocate General, claiming full responsibility for the leak.
When she was reported missing on Sunday, police launched an hours-long search for her on a beach north of Tel Aviv, which turned the story into something darker.
According to police, she was later discovered alive and well, but she was subsequently placed under arrest.
The consequences of the video leak are becoming more severe every day.
The video, which was aired on an Israeli news channel in August 2024, depicts reserve soldiers at the Sde Teiman military base in southern Israel removing a detainee, encircling him with riot shields to obstruct his view, and allegedly beating and stabbing him in the rectum with a sharp object.
The detainee’s serious injuries were later treated.
Afterwards, five reservists were accused of serious bodily harm to the detainee and aggravated abuse. They have not been named and have refuted the accusations.
Four of the reservists appeared at a news conference outside the Supreme Court in Jerusalem on Sunday, wearing black balaclavas to conceal their faces. Their attorneys called for the trial to be dismissed.
Lawyer Adi Keidar of the right-wing legal aid group Honenu asserted that his clients were “subject to a faulty, biased and completely cooked-up legal process.”.
As part of an exchange with Hamas for hostages held by Hamas since October 7, 2023, it was revealed on Monday that the detainee at the center of the case was released to Gaza in October.
A criminal investigation into the video’s leak was started last week.
Gen. Tomer-Yerushalmi was placed on leave during the investigation.
Israel Katz, the minister of defense, announced on Friday that she would not be permitted to return to her position.
Gen. Tomer-Yerushalmi resigned shortly thereafter.
She stated in her letter of resignation that she accepted full responsibility for any information the unit disclosed to the media.
“In an effort to counter false propaganda against the army’s law enforcement authorities, I approved the release of material to the media,” she stated.
That alludes to attempts by some Israeli right-wing politicians to deny the serious abuse claims made against the Palestinian detainee.
“It is our responsibility to look into any reasonable suspicion of acts of violence against a detainee,” she continued. A “.
Katz strongly denounced her behavior following her resignation.
He declared, “Anyone who disseminates blood libels against IDF soldiers is unfit to wear the army’s uniform.”.
The incident at Sde Teiman was “perhaps the most severe public relations attack that the State of Israel has experienced since its establishment,” according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who echoed his defense minister’s remarks on Sunday.
A few hours later, the Israeli media started to report that Gen. Tomer-Yerushalmi was missing, raising concerns that a political scandal had devolved into a tragedy.
An enormous search was started. Israeli police reported that she was discovered “safe and in good health” in the Herzliya coastal area a few hours later.
Two individuals were detained on suspicion of “leaking and other serious criminal offences” as part of an investigation, according to a police spokesperson overnight.
According to Israeli media, the two were Col. Matan Solomosh, a former chief military prosecutor, and Gen. Tomer-Yerushalmi.
