Gideon Levy on Israeli Haaretz:
"It is clear that Israel did not and will not achieve any victory in Gaza, and it had to pretend to come down from the blood-stained tree that it climbed, a tree that it did not have to climb in the first place,"
"He added sarcastically that it would be better for Israel to feign victory, adding that despite receiving a military strike, Hamas triumphed diplomatically, socially, morally, and economically"
Sde Teiman (sometimes "Sde Teman") is Israel's very own extrajudicial "black site," where Palestinians are detained and tortured. Most are released alive but traumatized, while some have undergone amputations due to lack of medical attention.
[translation]
I want to talk about something that is not discussed enough in Israel: the Palestinian prisoners being held in Sde Teman. This is a military prison facility where detainees from Gaza are brought, sometimes even elderly women. They are simply taken there, and they are held in conditions that are simply inhumane. Conditions of: tying their hands and feet behind their backs, covering their eyes, leaving them like that for 18 hours a day, not providing them medical treatment, not allowing the Red Cross or UN access to them, not allowing them a lawyer, not allowing them a fair trial. Some are released back to Gaza after a few months, without even being charged, without being told why they were held. Many of them reach a state where there is no medical treatment for their injuries, and their hands and feet are amputated. 35 of them have died in this facility, thirty-five since October. The testimonies coming out, from Israeli doctors as well as soldiers, reports published in the New York Times, #CNN, the Israeli newspaper #Haaretz - they are blood-curdling testimonies. And we must ask, does this bring us security? Does this help the Israeli captives being held in Gaza? Would we want our captives treated this way? Absolutely not.
On Monday, the United Nations Famine Review Committee (FRC) published a report on the situation in the northern Gaza Strip, concluding that there is insufficient reliable information to declare a famine. While some Israeli media outlets, including #Haaretz, perceive the report as a net positive for #Israel, the conclusion actually highlights the challenges posed by Israel's restrictions.
The FRC's inability to endorse the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) findings stems from the lack of access to Gaza, which prevents the collection of essential data required for its work. This underscores the limitations imposed by Israel's prevention of journalists and international organizations from entering Gaza and evaluating the circumstances on the ground.
Rather than being positive news for Israel, the report underscores the concerning lack of transparency and the inability of independent observers to accurately assess the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Ultimately, this lack of access and information is detrimental not only to the people of Gaza but also to Israel's stated commitment to facilitating humanitarian aid and relief efforts in the region.
[...] Firstly, all stakeholders who use the IPC for high-level decision-making must understand that whether a Famine classification is confirmed does not in any manner change the fact that extreme human suffering is without a doubt currently ongoing in the Gaza Strip and does not in any manner change the immediate humanitarian imperative to address this civilian suffering by enabling complete, safe, unhindered, and sustained humanitarian access into and throughout the Gaza Strip, including through ceasing hostilities. All actors should not wait until a Famine classification for the current period is made to act accordingly.
[...] Secondly, the FRC would like to highlight that the very fact that we are unable to endorse (or not) FEWS NET’s analysis is driven by the lack of essential up to date data on human well-being in Northern Gaza, and Gaza at large. Thus, the FRC strongly requests all parties to enable humanitarian access in general, and specifically to provide a window of opportunity to conduct field surveys in Northern Gaza to have more solid evidence of the food consumption, nutrition, and mortality situation.
#Israel / How Israel Mastered Information Warfare in Gaza – Foreign Policy
Some might still perceive #Hasbara (public diplomacy, explaining, or "welcoming") as having a positive connotation, distinct from outright propaganda. However, this has never truly been the case. In reality, it is far more insidious than one might assume.
Israel's extensive use of information warfare tactics during its barbaric war on Gaza has four-pronged strategy, leveraging social media:
Emphasizing the horror of the October 7th Hamas attack to justify retaliation (included distributing graphic images and videos through paid advertising campaigns targeted at Western audiences.)
Discrediting pro-Palestinian voices and narratives while justifying Israel's bombing of Gaza (included labeling criticism as #antisemitic, using dehumanizing language about Palestinians, falsely accusing media/aid workers of ties to Hamas, and lobbying for content takedowns.)
Limiting information flow out of Gaza by targeting communication infrastructure, killing journalists, internet blackouts and restricting media access.
Rallying Israeli public support by promoting its military's destruction of Gaza targets and purported victories over Hamas through psychological warfare campaigns.
[…] In a polarized social media space, every fact has become contested. It seems that for every investigation into an Israeli airstrike or a firefight, there is an alternative framing of events. When an Israeli airstrike most probably hit a convoy of civilians fleeing on an evacuation route, hundreds of pro-Israel users and accounts pretending they were open source investigators worked to shift the focus to videos of an unrelated side-road explosion for which they blamed Hamas. One such tweet was viewed more than 1.1 million times.
It's worth noting that within Israel, any evidence that appears highly damning against Israel is frequently dismissed as pro-Palestinian propaganda by most Israeli media outlets, even #Haaretz. They regularly transmit narrative-shifting announcements from the #IDF, typically the day after scores of Palestinian civilians are killed in Gaza. These stories often conveniently focus on exposed tunnels, rockets allegedly launched from #UNRWA offices, and similar justifications. It's unclear whether Haaretz does this out of obligation or by choice, but the pattern of deflecting blame after civilian casualties is consistent.
"Journalist threatened over reporting on spy chief and ICC, Israeli newspaper says - Haaretz says journalist warned of ‘consequences’ if he reported on attempts by head of the Mossad to intimidate ex-prosecutor of ICC"
"Israel’s leading leftwing newspaper, #Haaretz, has said unnamed senior security officials threatened one of its investigative reporters if he reported on attempts by the former head of the #Mossad to intimidate the ex-prosecutor of the international criminal court.
Amid growing concern over Israel’s censorship regime, enforced by the military censor’s office and by gag orders issued by the courts, Haaretz published an article on Wednesday with blacked out words and sentences to demonstrate the scale of redactions.
In an article published on Thursday, investigative reporter Gur Megiddo described how two years ago security officials blocked an attempt by the paper to report efforts by the former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen to threaten the then #ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda. Details of the operation to influence Bensouda were revealed this week by the Guardian and Israeli media partners +972 magazine and Local Call."
[...] The spokesman for the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza, Ashraf Al-Qidra, said 35 people were killed and dozens others, most of them women and children, were wounded in the attack.
After facing international pressure following last week's International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling, Israel is proactively investigating reports of civilian deaths in Rafah following IDF attack in Tel Al-Sultan neighborhood in western Rafah yesterday.
"Details of the incident are still under investigation," claimed Major-General Yifat Tomer Yerushalmi, Israel's top military prosecutor, at an Israel Bar Association conference.
While the investigation continues, some may view this move as a thinly veiled attempt by Israel to justify its actions and evade accountability for alleged war crimes.
[cont’d] Sources from #Hamas told #Haaretz that the organization's leadership informed mediators that they will not participate in negotiations on the release of captives following the killing of civilians in #Rafah (which they defined as a "slaughter".)
However, despite Israel's statement that talks will be renewed this week, neither side has specified a date or location for the meetings. According to those sources, Hamas also demanded from the mediators that they present them with a clear plan to stop the fighting in the Gaza Strip, otherwise they will not agree to take part in "meaningless discussions" and play into Netanyahu's hands.
#Palestine / Norway, along with Ireland and Spain, to recognize Palestinian state (to be followed by Slovenia and Malta); Israel recalls ambassadors to Ireland, Norway
With over 140 UN member states now recognizing Palestine, the wave of European support signals growing impatience with the stalled peace process and a willingness to challenge U.S.-backed insistence on direct negotiations favoring Israel's position.
[...] "In the middle of a war, with tens of thousands of dead and injured, we must keep alive the only thing that can provide a safe home for both Israelis and Palestinians: two states that can live in peace with each other," --- Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere (#Norway)
Israel swiftly condemned the move, recalling its ambassadors from Norway and Ireland, and warning of "dire consequences" if Spain follows through. The Israeli Foreign Minister accused the countries of "undercutting Israel's sovereignty and endangering its security."
[cont’d] Norwegian Foreign Minister: We Decided to Recognize a Palestinian State Now Due to Netanyahu's Government's Policies
In an interview with Haaretz, Anniken Huitfeldt said that the government's position against negotiations with the Palestinians, its support for the establishment of settlements and its policies in the West Bank pushed her country and its partners to initiate the move now.
[…] "There is a feeling that with the current government, it is impossible to continue sitting and waiting for an agreement, […] This encourages countries to take action."
[…] "Our commitment to a two-state solution has existed for decades, but we always believed that it would come as a result of an agreement and mutual recognition,"
[…] "The current Israeli government is very clear in its position against negotiating (with the Palestinians), and this certainly influenced us, […] Some said we should have done this long ago."
Huitfeldt accused Netanyahu's current government of
[…] "supporting the establishment of new and illegal settlements, and an overall policy that distances an agreement in the West Bank."
In response to #Haaretz's question about the Israeli criticism that the three countries' decision is an achievement for Hamas, Huitfeldt said that in her view the opposite is true:
[…] "We want to strengthen the moderate forces in the Palestinian Authority and in Israel that support the two-state solution and are enemies of Hamas. We want to strengthen the anti-Hamas, and I hear reactions from Palestinians today telling me – 'This is an important step for those who oppose terror, oppose violence, and support a political solution.' That is our goal, to convey a message of support for the two-state solution, which Hamas does not support."
#ICC / Prosecutor asks for arrest warrants for three leading Hamas leaders, as well ass Netanyahu and Galant
[...] The office of the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court on Monday said it was seeking arrest warrants against three leading Hamas militants for their alleged roles in the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Watch: ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan explains the charges against top Hamas and Israeli leadership in detail in this excerpt from his interview with @amanpour this morning at The Hague
[cont'd] The Israeli press is failing in its duty in covering the war in Gaza
The media, especially the news channels, are creating a black hole in Israelis' worldview. So there is a disconnect between how Israelis perceive the conflict and how it is viewed internationally, with Israelis struggling to understand the "sudden hatred" against them worldwide. Potential Israeli explanations range from the world forgetting the events of October 7th to ... yes, #antisemitism.
Over at "The Seventh Eye" (investigative online magazine dedicated to journalism and the media) Chen Egri writes that the real reason is that Israelis are largely unaware of the massive humanitarian disaster and civilian casualties in Gaza due to lack of media coverage on the issue. All major Israeli outlets except #Haaretz are ignoring basic facts about Palestinian deaths, injuries, displacement, etc.
This lack of knowledge creates an "unexplained gap" between international condemnation of #Israel's actions and how Israelis view the situation through the limited lens provided to them of defeating Hamas and Palestinian militancy.
[...] If in online and print journalism it is still possible to find some articles and reports on the civilian reality in Gaza, in television news channels, the main source of news information for Israelis, the situation is appalling. Channel 12 News, the news monopoly watched by most Israelis, refuses to report on the situation in Gaza.
[...] On the fundamentalist Channel 14 website, a counter of "the terrorists we have eliminated" is still prominently displayed. At the time of publishing this column, it stands at 34,971. Most of them, even according to #IDF estimates, were civilians who did not participate in the fighting. Like Hamas, Channel 14 also does not distinguish between infants and fighters. The counter on the N12 website does not wallow in bloodlust like Channel 14, but only shows the number of Hamas militants killed. Civilians are simply not mentioned.
[...] A search on the #N12 website yields a single-digit number of articles on what is happening in the Strip since the outbreak of the war, and even those mostly focus on the resentment of #Gaza residents towards #Hamas and the disaster it has brought upon them, with headlines like "Channel 12 News camera in Gaza: What do the Strip's youth think about Hamas?" What do the Strip's youth think about Israel? Channel 12 News does not address Israel's part in the situation of the Gaza Strip and its residents, or even simply the situation itself.
#Israel / IDF Data: 44 Soldiers Injured in Fighting Over the Weekend, 8 in Serious Condition
While pressure in mounting on #Netanyahu to end the war and sign a deal with Hamas to return the captives, #Haaretz is reporting that 44 soldiers have been injured since Thursday in fighting in the various sectors, eight of them seriously – according to IDF data. According to the data, 22 of the injured were in the Gaza Strip and 22 outside of it.
#Judaism / There Are No Lights in War: We Need a Different Religious Language (Ariel Schwartz [January 16, 2024])
Ariel Schwartz comes from a right-wing, religious Zionist family, in the political dialing areas of Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. He studied at the Etzion Yeshiva, in southern Mount Hebron, and during his regular service in the settlements in the West Bank, he asked himself who those stateless Palestinians were, "who live under the daily rule of the IDF." These questions caused him to become a left-wing activist.
He tells #Haaretz […] "They took from me the thing most precious to me, my faith, and directed it against me. As religious people, we believe that our tradition demands a different moral stance, one that can restrain the war instead of fueling it."
[…] An example of this can be found in the recent words of R. Amihai Friedman, the rabbi of the Nahal brigade’s training base: “I sit and imagine that in these days there are no casualties, hostages, or injured,” he told his soldiers. “And the second I remove them from the screen, I’m left with what is maybe the happiest month in my life since I was born.”[1]
[…] R. Friedman’s words give rise to a harsh realization: around us is a religious world that is happy, in many respects, about the current war.
[…] Thus, for example, writes R. Yigal Levinstein in the pamphlet He Leaps Up Like a Lion: On the Exaltation of the Spirit and the Special Level of Life During Times of War that saw light in the situation: “The war is not a marginal thing, and we should not view it as a ‘mistake’ or a ‘mishap’ which we would have preferred to avoid. The war is a great thing and, at the end of the day, brings a great message to humanity on its wings.”[2]
[…] According to R. Levinstein, the greatness of the war is rooted in the fact that it is one of those extraordinary moments in which “the inner soul shines in all its vitality.” Indeed, for the individual, the war is a difficult event, but at the national level it calls forth great moments in which the people of Israel “reveals from within itself its mighty heights of life.”
[…] Widening segments of the contemporary religious community are seeking to wrap the war in a halo of enchantment and holiness and turn it pleasant, ideal, and even joyous from an emotional perspective. In furtherance of this aestheticization and idealization, there are those who seek to remove any ethical brakes from the war. They call for us not to differentiate between blood and blood and condone any action done in its framework. These conceptions treat the spirit of battle as the climax of the revelation of the human spirit, but within this, implicitly, it is as though they require war to happen again and again, so that this “spirit of battle” may be revealed. In light of this attempt, we must seek a different religious language―one that remembers that the Jewish horizon is not war but peace, that the goal of the Jewish nation’s existence on this land is not “to shorten the life of man but to lengthen,” and that ethical conduct even in times of war is the soul of our religious tradition.
from #NewYorkTimes [gift article below]
How Counterprotesters at #UCLA Provoked Violence, Unchecked For Hours
The #NYT used videos filmed by journalists, witnesses and protesters to analyze hours of clashes — and a delayed police response — at a pro-#Palestinian encampment on Tuesday.
@plink it really feels like a concentrated effort to bismmerch the anti-war protesters. Israeli media, including #Haaretz, is recently full of reports about who’s been financing left leaning anti-war academics, and of course only using images of protesters wearing kaffeyhes smashing windows.
#Gaza / 6 rabbis and and an Israeli-American writer arrive at Erez crossing … allegedly
Ayelet Waldman, a Berkeley author, was arrested and then released after protesting the war with a group of American rabbis at the Erez Crossing, the border between Israel and Gaza. Waldman's husband announced her arrest on social media. The group, called Rabbis for Ceasefire, was attempting to bring food aid to Gaza when they were arrested. After about an hour Waldman and the other protesters had been released.
The police arrested Israeli-American writer Ayelet Waldman this afternoon, along with six other activists from the "Rabbis for a Ceasefire" organization, while they were allegedly attempting to bring sacks of rice into the Gaza Strip. The organization stated that their goal was to transfer food to the residents of Gaza and "to show the world, the residents of Gaza, and Jews in Israel and around the world what Judaism teaches: justice, kindness, peace, compassion and liberation."
Couldn’t ignore the choice of adverb here, which inserts doubts about the motives of the peace activists. These days in Israel, any individual showing compassion towards Palestinians in Gaza may face suspicion … or accusations of anti-Semitism.
#Haaretz is reporting that Israeli police arrested seven people, including five American Jews, who were part of a group trying to deliver relief supplies to Palestinians in Gaza. The group, organized by Rabbis for Human Rights, was also calling for a ceasefire and the release of hostages held by Hamas.
The protesters did not expect to actually deliver the aid, but rather wanted to draw attention to the plight of Palestinians in Gaza during the Passover holiday, which focuses on themes of liberation and food.
The U.S. State Department said it was aware of the reports of the arrests but could not provide further details.
#US / Anti-War Protests Spreading throughout College Campuses
While #Haaretz and other outlets claim these are “anti-Israel” or “pro-Palestine” protests and focus on #antisemitism, WAPO uses the correct terminology reporting that protests against the “Israel-Gaza war” have spread to college campuses across the United States, with students forming protest encampments and barricading themselves in buildings.
#US / Sanctioned on an Israeli military unit “Netzah Yehuda”
#Blinken and #Biden respond to criticism about ignoring human rights violations by Israel by picking low-hanging fruit, while sending more aid to Israel and ignoring the continued massacre in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
#Axios is reporting that the U.S. is expected to impose sanctions on #IDF "Netzah Yehuda" battalion for human rights violations in the occupied West Bank. This would be the first time the U.S. has sanctioned an Israeli military unit.
The battalion was formed as a special unit for ultra-Orthodox soldiers, but over time became a destination for radical right-wing settlers who were not accepted into other IDF combat units.
One incident that led to the sanctions was the death of 80-year-old Palestinian American Omar Assad, who was arrested, handcuffed, and left in the cold by Netzah Yehuda soldiers, and was later found dead.
State Department has failed to act on internal reports of human rights abuses by Israeli military and police units, despite recommendations from a special panel to deny funding to these units https://kolektiva.social/@oatmeal/112294455860672263
DAWN. “Israel: Netzah Yehudah Battalion Carries Out War Crimes In the West Bank, Including the Killing of Palestinian-American Omar Assad.” DAWN, 29 Nov. 2022, https://dawnmena.org/culprit-netzah-yehuda-battalion/.
#Haaretz reporting that an IDF spokesman said that the army is still not aware of the American decision to impose sanctions on the Netzah Yehuda Battalion. "If a decision is made on the matter, it will be examined," the IDF stated, adding that "the IDF operates and will continue to operate to investigate any exceptional incident objectively and in accordance with the law."
It was further stated that "the fighters of Netzah Yehuda are currently participating in the war in the Gaza Strip with courage and professionalism, while upholding the values and spirit of the IDF and the principles of international law." 🤮
Gantz spoke with #Blinken, and his office noted that he asked him to reconsider the #Biden administration's decision to impose sanctions against the "Netzah Yehuda" Brigade operating in the West Bank. In a statement from him, it was reported that Gantz warned that the decision would harm Israel's legitimacy during wartime, and that it is unjustified since "Israel has a strong and independent judicial system."
From DAWN’s report:
[…] In March 2022, Yesh Din, an Israeli human rights NGO, published a data sheet, "Law Enforcement on Soldiers Suspected of Harming Palestinians and their Property," notably finding that:
The odds that a Palestinian would see his or her complaint result in the prosecution of the soldier who harmed them: 2%.
72% of all complaints that were filed in 2019–2020 following suspected offenses committed by soldiers against Palestinians in which a decision was reached were closed with no criminal investigation.
[…] "[A]s soon as the operational investigation was completed, its insignificance quickly became clear: the battalion commander was reprimanded, and two other commanders were removed from their positions and barred from command roles for two years. As usual, the military announced the launch of [a military police] investigation into the incident. Yet B'Tselem's years of experience indicate that this investigation, too, is part of the MAG Corps' sophisticated whitewashing system. Its primary purpose is to silence criticism directed at the military – and at Israel – over the incident. It is not intended to uncover the truth or to hold those responsible accountable, and is certainly not meant [to] prevent the recurrence of such cases or ensure As'ad's [sic] family even a modicum of justice."
The #IDF is a hierarchical organization. The Netzah Yehuda battalion implements a policy of #apartheid, occupation and support for settler violence against Palestinians. It does so because those are the orders it received. The logic dictates that if the battalion is guilty, then the Chief of Staff, the Defense Minister and the Prime Minister are also guilty. To paraphrase the "snake's head" metaphor attributed in Israel to Iran, the Netzah Yehuda Brigade is the proxy, and the snake's heads sit in the "Kirya" and the Prime Minister's Office.
According to Palestinian reports, settlers have set houses and property on fire in the village of #Duma, near the Malachi Shalom outpost, where the body of the teenager Binyamin Ahimeir was found. The reports indicate that there are several injured people at the scene. A resident of Duma released a video in which he describes the events as a "war within the village" and adds that "they are burning and setting fire to apartments and property, and no one is helping us."
Concurrently, the Palestinian Red Crescent reports a 14-year-old boy injured by gunfire in the village of Bittin near Ramallah, and additional injuries from gunfire in the village of Al-Mu'ayyir.
#Haaretz is reporting that Israeli security forces confiscated construction equipment intended for building in the outpost where the 14-year-old Benjamin Achimair, who was recently killed in the West Bank, lived.
#Israel / Former President Rivlin: Israel is one step away from international ostracism
The former president expressed concern that Israel is at risk of losing international credibility and facing isolation if it does not change its approaches related to military conflicts and hostage negotiations.
In an interview with IDF Radio, Rivlin added:
[…] "We are losing the tremendous moral values that all Israeli governments for generations have enjoyed, by the conduct and behavior of the IDF and by the behavior of the State of Israel in everything related to the wars we have waged for 76 years."
Rivlin seems slightly delusional believing Israel had some exceptional “moral values” to be admired during its 76 years of occupation and abuse of international laws. It’s just that Gaza is more visible, and the crimes are difficult to explain away.
#Gaza / Israeli airstrike on Gaza kills seven working for food aid NGO
Hearing about the Israeli airstrike on Gaza which killed seven working for food aid NGO #WCK, I was reminded immediately of Meron Rapoport’s post about how Israel is sabotaging aid efforts. See Israel's Policy of Calculated Disorder in Gaza https://kolektiva.social/@oatmeal/112133541637687094.
There’s nothing much to add. At this point it does seem Israel is doing its best to sow chaos by killing foreign aid workers; as well as locals it agreed could assist in securing the deliveries.
[…] "This is not only an attack against #WCK, this is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the most dire of situations where food is being used as a weapon of war," said Erin Gore, chief executive of World Central Kitchen.
[cont’d] more information in harretz’s English edition from earlier in the day describing the deliberate killing of aid workers, according to “defense sources”. Reminder, IDF had the coordinates of the convoy and knew in advance its destination. This seems to suggest that a decision was made that a “terrorist” should be killed at the expense of everyone in the convoy.
[…] At some point, when the convoy was driving along the approved route, the war room of the unit responsible for security of the route ordered the drone operators to attack one of the cars with a missile.
[…] Some of the passengers were seen leaving the car after it was hit and switching to one of the other two cars. They continued to drive and even notified the people responsible that they were attacked, but, seconds later, another missile hit their car.
[…] The third car in the convoy approached, and the passengers began to transfer to it the wounded who had survived the second strike – in order to get them out of danger. But then a third missile struck them. All seven World Central Kitchen volunteers were killed in the strike.
#US / U.S. signs off on more bombs, warplanes for Israel
The #Biden administration has authorized the transfer of billions of dollars in bombs and fighter jets to Israel despite concerns about an anticipated military offensive in southern Gaza. The new arms packages include more than 1,800 MK84 2,000-pound bombs and 500 MK82 500-pound bombs. The continued arms transfers have been criticized by some Democrats who argue that the U.S. has a responsibility to withhold weapons in the absence of an Israeli commitment to limit civilian casualties and ease restrictions on humanitarian aid.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.):
[…] “The Biden administration needs to use their leverage effectively and, in my view, they should receive these basic commitments before greenlighting more bombs for Gaza […] We need to back up what we say with what we do.”
[cont'd] #Netanyahu (in a meeting with Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron on Thursday) emphasized the need for #Israel to be self-sufficient in producing its own defense capabilities. Regarding the defense budget, Netanyahu stated, "We understand that we need to adapt it to the needs that have emerged in this war, [...] We need to be more independent in the production capabilities of our defense forces." More specificaly, Netanyhu clarified that Israel needs to be "protected from
external pressures, as we need to make our own decisions."
#IDF / Israeli Officer Who Ordered Illegal Search of Palestinian Woman's Genitals Gets Promotion
The officer ordered two female soldiers to conduct the invasive search on suspicion that the woman was hiding a SIM card to communicate with Hamas members.
The case against the officer and others involved was initially closed in 2018 due to insufficient evidence, despite the search being illegal and lacking intelligence justification.
However, following media reporting, the officer was temporarily suspended pending a new Military Police investigation into the incident.