‘Israel’s January 6’: Far-right mob storms army base

Far-right lawmakers and protesters breached the perimeter of a controversial Israeli detention facility for Palestinians on Monday, after the Israeli military confirmed it was investigating soldiers over the alleged abuse of a prisoner.

A group of far-right activists rioted outside the Sde Teiman IDF base in the Negev, 30 km from Gaza. Dozens — including Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu of Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionism MK Zvi Sukkot — broke into the facility, which is being used as a detention centre for Palestinian terror suspects.

Police officers later arrived at the site and began removing the protesters. It was not immediately clear how many took part and if any were arrested.

The attack was a protest against the detention of reservists who were accused of abusing a Palestinian prisoner, but the reservists were not being held at the base.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) had announced that its Military Police Criminal Investigation Division (MPCID) was formally looking into the “suspected substantial abuse of a detainee” at the shadowy base, where prisoners from Gaza have allegedly been held under extreme conditions.

The reservists are suspected of aggravated abuse and forcible sodomy of a Palestinian arrested in the Gaza Strip. The alleged victim was rushed to the hospital due to injuries.

Elements on the Right have demanded the death penalty for Palestinian terror suspects interred at Sde Teiman and have opposed judicial oversight of the conditions at the site, while human rights organisations have protested treatment of detainees at the site, claiming cases of torture.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement calling for “an immediate calming of passions in the Sde Teiman base.” He also said he “strongly condemns” the break-in into the IDF base where Hamas terror suspects are held.

Commentators compared the attack to the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol by Trump supporters, saying the mob had been incited by right-wing politicians to use force to override a legitimate public institution. Some members of the mob wore merchandise associated with the MAGA movement and Donald Trump.

“Five people died on January 6, but, thankfully, none did on July 29. January 6 was a direct attack on the transition of power, while July 29 was "merely" an attempt to disrupt an investigation. But the similarities are hard to ignore, the most notable being the frenzied crowd, its push to get through the gates, and then its anarchic jubilation after succeeding,” wrote Eliav Breuer in the Jerusalem Post.

“Ministers and MKs are aiming their criticism at Israel's beleaguered judicial system for approving the arrests. The judicial system is the only effective check on government power, and the criticism brings to mind the attempts to weaken it as part of the judicial reform in 2023.

“Israel cannot become a place that accepts and encourages brutal torture. Israel's strategic strength stems in part from its moral high ground and democratic norms. If we replace these with the unchecked primal urge for revenge, we would be no better than our enemies. At the most fundamental level, this would indicate victory for Hamas.”

Writing in Haaretz, Amos Harel noted that the Sde Teiman probe is not the only one to roil the IDF recently. On Monday, a video appeared on social media showing troops from the 401st Armoured Brigade recording themselves blowing up a water storage facility in Rafah's Tel al-Sultan neighbourhood "in honour of Shabbat".

In this case, too, the military advocate general authorised an investigation by the Military Police. It has been claimed that the soldiers acted on the authority of their brigade commanders but that commanders higher up were unaware of the incident in advance.

“All of these incidents have a common denominator: they all involve suspected war crimes," writes Harel. "Those who are alleged to have perpetuated the acts not only endangered themselves but also damaged the international standing of the army and of the State of Israel and, of course, committed ethical violations.

“These are not isolated cases, even if the political and military leadership claim otherwise. The sad truth is that the deranged murderousness demonstrated by Hamas in the October 7 massacre has dragged Israel down into a vicious circle of violence and revenge. All this plays into the hands of the planners of the massacre, Yahya Sinwar and Mohammad Deif. Such consequences may even have been part of their strategy,” writes Harel.

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Dozens of protesters storm Israeli army base where soldiers suspected of abuse of Palestinian detainee are held (Haaretz)  

Far-right lawmakers break into Israeli detention camp, protesting probe into soldiers’ alleged abuse of prisoner (CNN)

Mob storms IDF base in Israel, echoing January 6 Capitol attack amid controversy - comment (Jerusalem Post)

Storming Sde Teiman, Far-right lawmakers try to inject chaos into the Israeli army (Haaretz)  

Netanyahu, Herzog appeal for ‘calm’ after mob storms IDF base with far-right MKs (Times of Israel)