The wave of incitement against Israel in the international media continues, fueled by Supreme Court rulings and the leaked “abuse video” released by former Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi. In a major report published overnight, The Wall Street Journal noted that it had approached Tomer-Yerushalmi following reports of the investigation against her, but her legal team “declined to comment.” Throughout the article, the newspaper repeatedly echoed the narrative that Israel has allegedly subjected ‘Palestinian’ detainees to psychological, sexual, and physical abuse since October 7.
2+The Journal built its narrative on interviews with members of Physicians for Human Rights, Supreme Court rulings regarding Red Cross access to detainees, and a speech delivered last year by President Isaac Herzog, in which he said that “on the margins of society there are elements that have normalized violence, celebrate it, and even take pride in it.”
As part of the report, The Wall Street Journal interviewed Mohammed Mardawi, 47, who had been imprisoned since 1999. Mardawi repeated allegations of sexual abuse in Israeli detention facilities that closely mirrored claims featured in the “abuse video” leaked by Tomer-Yerushalmi to Channel 12 News. He described how he “hoped he would die” when guards entered his cell, tied him and two other prisoners, and ordered them to kneel. “Then they inserted the stick into me,” he claimed—without presenting any evidence or a shred of proof to substantiate the allegation.
2+The allegations against Israel by The Journal also relied on several recent Supreme Court rulings to support its account. For example, the paper cited a Supreme Court decision that last year the state had failed to provide for the basic needs of Palestinian detainees, after human rights organizations petitioned the court, accusing Israel of starvation.
Another ruling quoted in this vein concerned Red Cross visits, in which the Supreme Court determined that the ban on visits violates international and Israeli law. To explain the deterioration in detention conditions, the Journal also cited a 2025 survey by the Israel Democracy Institute, according to which approximately 61% of Jewish Israelis opposed investigating soldiers suspected of abusing detainees from Gaza.
2+As a reminder, the Sde Teiman affair began in August 2024 with the release of security camera footage from the detention facility, which allegedly showed reserve soldiers abusing a detained terrorist. The publication sparked unprecedented public and international uproar and served as fuel for an international propaganda campaign against Israel.
In October 2025, following public pressure and heavy suspicions of distorting the legal process, Israel Police and the State Attorney’s Office opened a criminal investigation into the source of the leak. The investigation led to a dramatic upheaval in the IDF: the then-Chief Military Prosecutor, Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, was placed on leave and two days later, on October 31, 2025, resigned from her position while admitting that she personally approved handing over the materials to the media, to “counter false propaganda.”
The affair escalated in early November 2025, when Tomer-Yerushalmi was arrested on suspicion of fraud and breach of trust, abuse of authority, disclosure of confidential information by a public servant, and obstruction of justice. Investigators also suspected her of concealing her mobile phone and submitting a false affidavit to the Supreme Court. Former Chief Military Prosecutor Col. Matan Sulmash was arrested alongside her.
The arrest was accompanied by severe personal drama from the former prosecutor, including prolonged absence, leaving a suicide note, and subsequent medical hospitalization. In May 2026, Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir decided to officially dismiss Tomer-Yerushalmi from military service, while the criminal proceedings and investigation into her and other involved parties in the Military Advocate General’s Corps continue.