Israel/OPT: Decision to drop charges against soldiers accused of abuse at Israeli military prison continues disgraceful history of impunity

Responding to the decision by Israel’s Military Advocate General to drop charges against five Israeli soldiers accused of abusing and sexually assaulting Palestinian detainees at the notorious Sde Teiman military prison, Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Research Advocacy and Policy, said:

“This decision marks yet another unconscionable chapter in the Israeli legal system’s long-standing history of granting impunity to perpetrators of grave crimes against Palestinians.

“This, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s welcoming of the decision, illustrate the Israeli system’s 'unwillingness or inability' to prosecute crimes under international law, stressing the urgent need for international justice as the only remaining avenue for Palestinians.

“Since the start of Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip, and despite overwhelming evidence of widespread torture and abuse, including sexual violence, against Palestinians in Israeli detention centres, only one Israeli soldier has so far been sentenced over torturing a Palestinian detainee.

“At least 98 Palestinians are known to have died in Israeli custody since October 2023, with Israeli authorities failing to hold any independent, transparent, and impartial investigation into any of these cases, while continuing to block independent monitors, including the ICRC, from visiting Palestinian detainees.   

“Amidst rising regional tensions, the world cannot look the other way while Palestinians continue to be denied even a semblance of justice. State parties to the Rome Statute must do all in their power to support the International Criminal Court’s investigation of ongoing crimes in Palestine and Israel.”  

Brutal treatment

According to Israeli NGO HaMoked, there are currently 9,446 Palestinians held in custody in Israeli prisons. Amnesty has previously documented how Palestinians detained at Sde Teiman have been held incommunicado and subjected to torture and other ill-treatment.