The attorney-general and the state attorney authorized on Wednesday evening the launch of a criminal investigation into Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu and Knesset members Zvi Sukkot and Nissim Vaturi over their alleged involvement in the breach of the Sde Teiman military base.
The decision follows a July incident in which the IDF Military Police Criminal Investigation Division (MPCID) raided the base and arrested reservist soldiers on suspicion of sexually abusing a captured Nukhba terrorist operative.
In the wake of the arrests, a group of civilians, joined by Eliyahu and the two lawmakers, arrived at the base to protest the detentions and demand the soldiers' release. Shortly thereafter, they entered the base without authorization. MK Almog Cohen was also present in the area but did not enter the facility.
MKs respond to the annoucement
Responding to the announcement of the investigation, Eliyahu wrote on X: “I welcome the attorney-general’s decision to open an investigation against those who spread the biased smear video from Sde Teiman, which caused enormous harm to the IDF and the State of Israel. IDF soldiers deserve for the state to stand by them against those who try to slander them with vile accusations. No doubt—an objective and professional attorney-general, free from political bias.”
National Security Minsiter Itamar Ben-Gvir said, "While the Attorney-General and the State Attorney are quick to approve investigations against right-wing elected officials, they turn a blind eye to far more serious offenses committed by MK Gilad Kariv, who was caught leaking classified protocols from the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee; by Yair Golan, who calls for rebellion and refusal of orders; by MK Naama Lazimi, who incites; and by the explicit incitement of Ehud Olmert, who declared in 2023 that 'it’s time to move to the war stage – not speeches, but face-to-face combat.' This is what selective enforcement and complete politicization of the law enforcement system look like."
During the July arrests, reservists clashed with police personnel at the base. In one video, a soldier is seen shouting, “We’re going to stand united against this thing where the IDF is fighting its own soldiers. That’s it. It’s over.” Another soldier added: “It pains me to raise my nose at the IDF.”