IDF faces crisis of accountability after soldier assault video leak

The Jewish Independent editorialised shortly after the footage aired that “many Israelis, absorbed by their own fear and trauma, are prepared to turn a blind eye to the worst excesses of their army and politicians.” Tomer-Yerushalmi has now confirmed that she approved the leak to “counter the false propaganda directed against the military law enforcement authorities,” noting that she bore “full responsibility for any material that was released to the media from within the unit.”

The material was leaked at a moment of intense political pressure to “turn a blind eye”. Right-wing activists and politicians had accused military prosecutors of fabricating allegations of abuse — claims described as a modern-day “blood libel.” These accusations began circulating even before the investigation commenced. “To portray this as a fabricated ‘antisemitic blood libel’ is false,” wrote security analyst Ron Ben-Yishai in Ynetnews. “The investigation and charges were based on real, documented abuse.” He argued that the “blood libel” narrative was a political tool used by religious-nationalist factions to intimidate prosecutors and judges into dropping the case.

Political pressure from the government to prevent investigations against IDF soldiers, particularly those stationed at Sde Teiman, was intense and at times violent. As reported by Ben Lynfield in The Jewish Independent, prisoner abuse, which rights groups say has occurred persistently since the start of the war, came into sharp focus when far-right activists, joined by coalition MKs, forced their way into the Sde Teiman facility to block Military Police from arresting reservists suspected in a sexual assault that left a Palestinian detainee seriously injured. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir publicly defended the suspects, calling them “the finest of our heroes.”

According to reporting in Haaretz, senior reserve officers and investigators said Tomer-Yerushalmi felt personally threatened by the scale of incitement directed at her. Anonymous sources described an atmosphere in which the IDF’s top legal officer became hesitant to advance sensitive investigations — including cases involving civilian casualties, blockade policies and strikes on medical and academic institutions.

“There was talk that threats reached her private home,” one source said. “She was paralysed by the incitement and social media discourse. She was simply afraid to open investigations.”

The affair highlights a broader trend: the growing politicisation of the Israeli military. Ben-Yishai argues that ideological politics are increasingly influencing command decisions at every level. In the West Bank, some reservists have been filmed standing aside as extremist settlers attack Palestinians, or even participating, sometimes while armed. The government’s permissive approach, encouraged by Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, has led to what many Israeli and international observers describe as near-total impunity. This shift, analysts warn, is undermining Israel’s legitimacy abroad, particularly in Europe and North America.

Prime Minister Netanyahu and senior ministers have used the scandal to renew attacks on Israel’s judicial institutions. Finance Minister Smotrich claimed the leak was “just the tip of the iceberg” of alleged corruption in the justice system, while Ben-Gvir argued it proved the need for sweeping reform.

Justice Minister Yariv Levin framed Tomer-Yerushalmi’s downfall as vindication of his efforts to curtail judicial power. “The system of lies that has been built here for years, trampling on the rights of entire communities and harming the security of the state and IDF soldiers, is crumbling,” he wrote on Facebook.

On Tuesday, Levin announced he had appointed retired judge Asher Kula to lead an inquiry into the leak,  despite the firm objection of Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara, who said Levin had no legal authority to make the appointment. Senior legal experts criticised the move as an attempt to bypass the attorney-general and politicise the investigation. “The justice minister isn’t interested in the investigation — only in firing the attorney-general,” one expert told Ynetnews. “He is acting without authority and contaminating the probe while it’s ongoing.”

In Haaretz, military analyst Amos Harel argued that the government is using the affair to intimidate “gatekeepers” — the legal, security and civil-society actors who serve as constraints on executive power. “The intent is to sow fear ahead of elections,” he wrote. “There are bigger targets than the Military Advocate General. The real goal is the attorney-general herself.”

The Sde Teiman affair is not only about one video or one senior officer. It exposes a struggle over who controls the boundaries of military conduct in wartime and whether independent oversight can survive political pressure.

For some Israelis, the footage confirms longstanding concerns raised by human rights groups regarding detainee treatment during the Gaza war and in the West Bank. For others, the affair is perceived not as evidence of abuse but as proof of a “deep state” conspiracy designed to sabotage the army and weaken national morale.

Tomer-Yerushalmi’s decision to leak the footage was, she maintains, an attempt to restore trust in the rule of law. Yet the episode has instead deepened mistrust  within the military, across the political system, and among the public. As investigations continue, Israel now faces not only the question of what happened inside Sde Teiman — but whether its institutions still have the authority, independence and courage to enforce accountability at all.

READ MORE

Sde Teiman affair: the price of the IDF’s politicization (Ron Ben-Yishai, Ynetnews)

How a leaked video of a notorious IDF detention center could help Netanyahu take down Israel's democracy (Amir Tibon, Haaretz)

Back with a vengeance: Netanyahu's revived judicial coup seeks to terrify Israel's gatekeepers (Amos Harel, Haaretz)

Timeline of a scandal: The 17 months of the Sde Teiman abuse and video leak affair (Times of Israel)

Editorial: standing with Israel does not mean endorsing Israelis’ worst behaviour (The Jewish Independent)