A rebellion broke out on Monday when Israelis, including many MKS and ministers, forcibly broke through the gates of the Sde Teiman detention facility after Military Police arrested nine reservists for allegedly abusing a Nukhba terrorist. In an unprecedented situation, Israelis, including politicians, furious that IDF reservists who risked their lives to protect the country were arrested, confronted and clashed with IDF officers on the base. The army was even forced to call in police forces to assist them in evacuating the protesters from the base. After the protesters were evacuated from Sde Teiman, about 150 of them proceeded to travel to the Beit Lid base, where the detained reservists were brought for questioning, and launched a new protest. The Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement, saying: “Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu calls for immediate calm at Sde Teman and strongly condemns the breaking into an IDF base.” Meanwhile, in an absurd display of hypocrisy, left-wing politicians, who just ten months ago were calling for army refusals, accused right-wing politicians of sowing chaos and rebellion against the IDF. The protesters blocked the entrance to the facility for over three hours: A statement from Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s office said: “IDF troops in both mandatory service and reserve duty have been fighting fiercely over the past nine months, in the most just war since the establishment of our State. I commend our troops who carry out complex and important missions in the prison service, as those relate to the imprisonment of Hamas terrorists – vile terrorists whom we will bring to justice. The IDF will continue operating in accordance with the law. We must enable professional authorities to carry out the necessary assessments, while ensuring the dignity and respect of our soldiers. Even in difficult times, the law applies to everyone – nobody may trespass into IDF bases or violate the laws of the State of Israel.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Recent comments