CNN
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Far-right lawmakers and protesters stir up controversy Israeli Detention Facilities The Israeli military’s response towards Palestinians toughened on Monday after the army confirmed it was investigating soldiers over allegations of mistreatment of prisoners.
Footage posted on social media showed chaotic scenes at the Sde Teyman base in Israel’s Negev desert, with far-right Knesset member Tzvi Sukkot seen entering the compound through a fence while a crowd protesting the investigation gathered outside. Another video showed people crowding around the base as security guards tried to stop them.
Protesters also entered the Israeli military base at Beit Lid in central Israel, clashing with security forces before being dispersed on Monday night, police said. Several soldiers at the center of the investigation into the abuses are being questioned at the Beit Lid base.
The scenes highlight Israel’s complex partisan divisions at a time when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government relies on support from far-right parties and the military is already overwhelmed by the war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the growing threat from Hezbollah to the north.
An Israeli military official told CNN that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) leadership sees the incursion as a serious threat to the country’s security and a hindrance in considering military options in Lebanon, threatening further escalation following Saturday’s incident. Deadly attack At Majdal Shams mountain.
Defense Minister Yoav Galant said at the time that the incident was “playing into the enemy’s hands during wartime.”
In a statement on Monday, Prime Minister Netanyahu called for immediate calm at the Sde Teyman base and condemned the incursion at the base.
Crowds first gathered at Sde Teyman base after the IDF announced that the Military Police Criminal Investigation Directorate (MPCID) was formally investigating “allegations of serious mistreatment of detainees” at the mysterious base, where prisoners from Gaza are reportedly being held in extreme conditions.
in CNN investigation An Israeli whistleblower released in May, as well as former Palestinian detainees and witnesses, described widespread abuses at Sde Teyman prison, including blindfolding, excessive restraints, and serious injuries from prolonged handcuffing.
“The intrusion into Sde Teyman base is extremely serious and illegal,” IDF Chief of Staff Gen. Helgi Halevi said in a statement on Monday, adding that the military was “working to restore order at the base.”
Opposition leader Yair Lapid also condemned the violations, calling them a “dangerous and criminal act by (Knesset members) that seeks to weaken and dismantle the IDF, weaken and dismantle the State of Israel, and erode the basis of our power from within.”
Mr. Sukkot, a far-right Knesset member who attended Sde Teyman on Monday, is a member of Religious Zionism, an ultra-nationalist party led by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
Smotrich had previously voiced support for the protests but called for a calming of the demonstrations following the Beit Lid break-in.
“I call on everyone to abide by the law, the integrity of the army and the people, not to invade military bases and not to clash with our brother soldiers and police,” Smotrich said.
President Isaac Herzog slammed elected officials for their involvement and encouragement of what he called “dangerous, illegal and irresponsible behavior.”
Videos posted on social media showed protesters clashing with security forces inside the Beit Lid base.
Noam Goldberg, a correspondent for Israel’s Channel 13, who was on the ground covering the protests, told CNN that protesters attacked her cameraman and yelled and yelled at her and her staff.
“The cameraman said, ‘I can’t do this! My camera is being broken! They’re pushing me!’ We tried to leave but the protesters got in our way, shouting and yelling at us. At that point we felt threatened. They weren’t letting me do my job,” Goldberg said.
Police initially focused on securing the base, but were eventually able to separate Channel 13 staff and protesters, she said.
Goldberg said the “extremely frightening” situation was part of a growing trend of hostility towards Israeli journalists covering right-wing protests.
“I’ve covered similar right-wing, pro-government protests in the past and knew that Channel 13’s image as a channel critical of the government meant they might be attacked. I made sure to hide any identifying details,” Goldberg said.
After the protesters were dispersed by police and army troops, Halevi of the IDF inspected the scene.
“We came to Beit Lid because our soldiers are here to prevent anything worse from happening. The arrival of insurgents and attempts to infiltrate the base are serious and illegal acts that border on anarchy and are damaging to the IDF, national security and the war effort,” Halevi said.
Earlier this month, following an international outcry over reports of abuses at Sde Teyman detention center, Netanyahu said he had ordered Israel’s Supreme Court to end long-term detentions at the center and limit it to initial interrogations and the use of temporary holding facilities. Most of the prisoners had already been transferred out of the detention center. Desert FacilityAccording to a statement the Israeli government filed with the court at the time:
The Israeli army has previously acknowledged that it has partially converted three military facilities – Sde Teyman in the Negev desert, and the Anatot and Ofer military bases in the occupied West Bank – into detention camps for Palestinian detainees from Gaza since the Hamas-led offensive on October 7.
Halevi said last month that the military had opened investigations into allegations of abuse in Sde Teyman, Anatot and Ofer.
As part of CNN’s investigation into Sde Teyman base, three Israeli whistleblowers said Palestinian detainees at the base were blindfolded at all times and subjected to extreme physical restraints. One whistleblower said doctors sometimes amputated the limbs of prisoners injured by being handcuffed for too long. The testimony was consistent with a letter written by a doctor working at Sde Teyman base. Published in April by Haaretz.
Several Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups, as well as local and international media, have also detailed allegations of torture and ill-treatment in the camps.
In response to a CNN request for comment on all allegations made in the May 10 investigation, the Israeli army said in a statement: “The IDF is committed to treating detainees appropriately while in its custody. All allegations of misconduct by IDF soldiers are investigated and dealt with accordingly. If there are allegations of misconduct that justify such measures, an investigation by the MPCID will be initiated in appropriate cases.”
“Detainees are handcuffed based on the level of danger and their medical condition. No cases of illegal handcuffing are known to the authorities.”
The IDF did not directly deny stories of people being stripped of their clothes or detained in diapers, but instead said that detainees’ clothes are returned if the IDF determines they do not pose a security risk.
