Israel held it’s breath after the IDF’s’s top lawyer disappeared two days after she resigned amid an inquiry into an explosive prisoner abuse scandal.
Source link
Nov. 4, 2025, 11:00 AM ESTBy Matt Bradley and Michael FiorentinoTEL AVIV — For several hours, Israel held its collective breath: The military’s top lawyer had disappeared two days after she resigned amid a legal inquiry into her role in exposing an explosive prisoner abuse scandal. Former Military Advocate General, Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi sparked a frantic police search amid fears for her well-being in a case that consumed the country while striking at the heart of deep divisions over the U.S. ally’s conduct in its war in Gaza. Although she was found safe and alive several hours later, she was subsequently arrested Sunday for her role in the leak of a video showing the alleged sexual abuse in a notorious Israeli prison, sparking a public reckoning on how Israel’s caustic culture wars are deepening the country’s political fault lines and upending lives away from its multiple battlefields. Tomer-Yerushalmi was detained after she acknowledged in her resignation letter Friday that she had approved the leak of a video that showed Israeli soldiers allegedly abusing a Palestinian detainee last year at a military prison in order “to counter the false propaganda directed against the military law enforcement authorities.”“It is our duty to investigate whenever there is reasonable suspicion of acts of violence against a detainee,” she said. Tomer-Yerushalmi was arrested on suspicion of fraud, breach of trust, abuse of office, obstruction of justice and disclosure of official information by a public servant, according to Israeli media. At the same time Chief Military Prosecutor Col. Matan Solomesh was also detained on the same charges. Israel Police did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment on the charges. On Monday, prosecutors extended their detentions for three more days. She has not been formally charged or entered a plea.