Tel Aviv [Israel], November 4 (ANI/TPS): An Israeli court on Monday extended the detention of the army’s top lawyer, former Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, by three days amid an investigation into the leak of a video showing Israeli soldiers allegedly abusing a Palestinian detainee. Authorities cited concerns that she could interfere with the investigation and pose a risk to judicial proceedings.
Tomer-Yerushalmi resigned on Friday and was arrested Sunday night after disappearing for hours along the Tel Aviv coastline. Police were unable to locate her phone, prompting suspicions that she may have staged a suicide attempt to destroy evidence. Following her arrest, she underwent medical and psychological evaluations before being taken to Neve Tirza Women’s Prison in Ramla.
Police also detained former Israel Defence Forces chief prosecutor Col. Matan Solomosh, who is suspected of knowing about Tomer-Yerushalmi’s role in the leak and attempting to cover it up. Solomosh’s lawyer, Nati Simchoni, insisted his client only learned of the leak afterwards. “He was not involved in the inquiry and had no reason to obstruct the investigation,” Simchoni told the court. Solomosh’s detention was also extended until Wednesday.
The video at the centre of the case shows alleged abuse of a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman military detention facility. The Palestinian was released to Gaza on October 13 under a recent ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. Five IDF reservists from the Force 100 Military Police unit were indicted in February for assault and causing severe injury.
Honenu, a legal aid organisation representing two of the reservists, called for the charges to be dropped. “We call on the Military Advocate General’s Office to annul the indictments immediately,” the group said.
In his remarks at the beginning of Sunday’s weekly Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the incident “perhaps the most severe propaganda attack that the State of Israel has experienced since its establishment. I don’t remember one that was so focused. This requires an independent and impartial investigation, and I expect that one will also be carried out.”
Tomer-Yerushalmi faces multiple charges, including fraud, breach of trust, obstruction of justice, and abuse of office. Her lawyer, Dori Klagsbald, argued that there is already extensive evidence from other suspects, making it unlikely she could interfere.
“There is no reason to assume that someone who did not obstruct the investigation from the moment it began would have reason to obstruct it now,” Klagsbald said.
Police told the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court that at least seven additional suspects are expected to be questioned.
Judge Shelley Kutin ruled that both Tomer-Yerushalmi and Solomosh remain in detention until Wednesday, granting a shorter extension than police requested but agreeing that the risk of interference justified temporary remand.
The Sde Teiman facility, established in southern Israel after the outbreak of the Gaza war, has held more than 1,000 detainees from Gaza suspected of involvement in terrorist activity. (ANI/TPS)
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