By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Several Israeli officials participated in the Beit Lid Riot, including Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu and Knesset member Tzvi Succot.

The leader of Israel’s Labor Party called on Monday for the imprisonment of Knesset members who stormed a military base in the Naqab (Negev) to protest the arrest of soldiers accused of gang-raping a Palestinian detainee at Sde Teiman Prison.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “bears direct responsibility for the establishment of armed militias whose entire purpose is to undermine the foundations of the rule of law,” Yair Golan said on X. 

Raped with a Broom – Washington Post Details Harrowing Treatment of Palestinian Prisoners

He condemned the raid by Israeli lawmakers as an attempt “to turn the Israeli army into armed militias, stating that “those elected officials who stormed Sde Teiman must go to prison”.

Several Israeli officials participated in the protest, including Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu and Knesset member Tzvi Succot.

For his part, opposition leader Yair Lapid accused Netanyahu of losing control over his government. 

“This is not a riot, this is an attempted coup by an armed militia against a weak prime minister who is unable to control his government,” Lapid said on X.

“We are not on the brink of the abyss, we are in the abyss. All red lines were crossed today,” Lapid also wrote, adding that “MKs and ministers who participate in the invasion of violent militias into military bases are a message to the State of Israel: they are done with democracy, they are done with the rule of law”.

אנחנו לא על סף התהום, אנחנו בתהום. כל הקווים האדומים נחצו היום. ח״כים ושרים שמשתתפים בפלישה של מליציות אלימות לתוך בסיסים צבאיים הם הודעה למדינת ישראל: הם גמרו עם הדמוקרטיה, הם גמרו עם שלטון החוק.

קבוצה פשיסטית מסוכנת מאיימת על קיומה של מדינת ישראל.

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— יאיר לפיד – Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) July 29, 2024

Ben-Gvir’s Role

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has expressed doubts about National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s role in the delayed police response to Israeli rioters who stormed two military bases late Monday.

Gallant urged Netanyahu to investigate whether Ben-Gvir impeded police action against the rioters at the Sde Teiman and Beit Lid military bases in southern and central Israel. 

He also called on the prime minister to “take a firm stand against the coalition members who participated in the riots,” as reported by Haaretz.

Viral videos on social media showed lawmakers and ministers from the far-right Jewish Power party involved in the storming of the Sde Teiman base. 

The defense ministry labeled these events as “severe harm to national security and the government’s authority over the Israeli army,” according to the Jerusalem Post.

In his letter to the prime minister, Gallant wrote:

“Backing and active participation of elected officials in riots at army bases, while issuing harsh statements against senior army officers, is a severe and extremely dangerous phenomenon that harms security, social cohesiveness, and Israel’s international reputation.”

שירות הביטחון הכללי צריך לפתוח בחקירה לגבי מידת המעורבות של צמרת המשטרה, ח"כים ושרים בממשלה בניסיון ההפיכה המשטרית שבוצע אתמול.

גורמים בכירים בצה"ל מאשרים הבוקר שהמחוז הדרומי במשטרה נמנע מלשלוח תגבור משטרתי לשדה תימן במשך 3 שעות.

מדובר במחדל חמור או במעורבות חתרנית של גורמים…

— Yair Golan – יאיר גולן (@YairGolan1) July 30, 2024

“This dangerous phenomenon must be addressed decisively and immediately,” Gallant added.

The storming involved physical clashes with soldiers and police officers attempting to prevent the protesters from entering the base and its halls.

The Israeli army criticized the police for their slow response to the riots at Sde Teiman and Beit Lid, claiming that despite early appeals for assistance, it took police many hours to regain control, as reported by KAN on Tuesday.

The police, led by Ben-Gvir, have yet to comment on the army’s accusations.

Torture and Abuse

On Monday evening, dozens of Israelis broke into the Israeli military court building at the Beit Lid army base in central Israel.

Earlier reports from Israeli media revealed that a detainee from Gaza was gang-raped by Israeli soldiers at Sde Teiman Prison in southern Israel. 

Israeli public broadcaster KAN, citing a security source, reported that the detainee was hospitalized with severe injuries to an intimate body part, leaving him unable to walk.

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Israel’s Army Radio confirmed that ten soldiers were detained for questioning as part of an investigation into the abuse. There have been multiple reports of severe mistreatment of Palestinian detainees at Sde Teiman since the start of Israel’s ongoing offensive on the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli army detained thousands of Palestinians, including women, children, and medics, since October 7, 2023. 

Recently, dozens of Palestinian detainees from Gaza have been released in deteriorating health conditions, showing signs of torture.

(PC, Anadolu, Social media)