Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, the Israeli military‘s top lawyer, has been arrested amid a growing scandal that has shaken the nation’s armed forces. She is under indictment for serious allegations. Those are fraud, breach of trust, abuse of official power, obstruction of justice and disclosure of public officials’ information. But now a new scandal has erupted, ignited by a leaked video. It purportedly documents Israeli soldiers sexually torturing a Palestinian detainee at the infamous Sde Teiman military prison.
The clip originally aired on Israel’s Channel 12 in August 2024. It generated international outrage and initiated a criminal investigation by Israel’s Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara. The footage showed harrowing scenes of abuse, including 400 cases of sexual assault. More broadly, it raises serious questions about how the Israeli military is operating during the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Tomer Yerushalmi made sure that the rule of law was enforced inside the armed forces. It was his decision to authorize the release of the video. After the investigation’s start, she resigned two days later, taking responsibility for what happened.
“There are things that cannot be done even against the worst of the detainees,” – Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi
The political fallout from this egregious incident has been immense. Defense Minister Israel Katz soon announced his plan to impose “all necessary sanctions” on Tomer-Yerushalmi. He may go so far as to revoke her military commission and rank. Tomer-Yerushalmi has since been suspended from her position as military advocate-general as the Israeli authorities continue to probe.
Besides Tomer-Yerushalmi, there are now five suspects charged in the investigation surrounding the video leak. The military and its legal units are under unprecedented heat. Backlash against the abuses started growing as news of the alleged abuses began to emerge.
“Officers of the (legal) unit have faced repeated personal attacks, harsh insults, and even real threats. All of this because they stood guard over the rule of law in the IDF – together with the commanders and alongside them,” – Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi
The allegations have drawn outrage from the Israeli government’s ministers and other top officials. Minister of Justice Yariv Levin directly targeted these historic narratives. He contended that these stories have depleted the security of the state and trampled the rights of the populations that have suffered. He stated, “The lies that have been built here over the years, while trampling on the rights of entire populations and severely harming the security of the state and IDF soldiers, are gradually falling apart.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu derided the whole scandal as “an enormous reputational blow.” He called it “the worst PR disaster in Israel’s history.” National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called the events “criminal behavior under legal cover.” He spoke about the gravity of the moment that we are in.
The probe into Tomer-Yerushalmi’s actions, and the ensuing political fallout, have sparked an extraordinarily strong political backlash. Many view this incident as the tip of an iceberg—a reflection of a much more systemic issue embedded in Israel’s military justice system and treatment of detainees. The scandal has sparked outrage over the accountability of military leaders and their willingness to follow international law.
The surrounding drama hasn’t slowed down, with surprises coming almost daily as new information is released. Tomer-Yerushalmi’s next court hearing is set for Wednesday, where more developments in this high-profile investigation are expected.
