The reservists who were detained Monday for questioning for alleged abuse of a Nukhba terrorist at the Sde Teiman military detention center at first refused to go quietly with military police investigators. A police negotiation force was called in, and in the end the soldiers went with investigators to undergo questioning at the military base in Beit Lid.
Dozens of protesters arrived at the gates of the Sde Teiman base after the reservists had already left, and the police present in the area did not believe that they would break into the base. Because of this, the police did not have large enough forces at the entrance to the base, which could have prevented the crowd from breaking in to the center.
Demonstrators protest in support of detained reservist soldiers at the Beit Lid military base.
(Photo: Yariv Katz)
Immediately after the break-in, forces from Yasam, the Israel Police Special Patrol Unit, were sent to the base, in order to help evacuate the protesters. After police spoke with a leader of the protestors, they left the gates of the base of their own accord. There is still fear, however, of renewed protests in the coming days in front of the base, or an attempt to break in and reach the Nukhba terrorists who are being held there.
In addition to civilian protesters, Knesset lawmakers and government ministers were among the protesters who breached the gates of the facility, even taking selfies of themselves inside the base. No protesters have been detained or investigated on suspicion of breaking into an IDF base, which is against he law.
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Protesters joined by Knesset lawmaker Tally Gotliv gather in front of the Beit Lid military base in support of detained reservist soldiers
(צילום: רענן בן צור)
Over the past two weeks, Knesset lawmakers have protested the handling by the military prosecutor's office, headed by Major General Yifat Tomer Yerushalmi, of investigations into the conduct of soldiers. Last week, at a hearing in the Constitutional Committee on the question of the investigation of civilians suspected of murdering a Nukhba terrorist, members of Knesset slammed State Attorney Amit Isman and called for his resignation over the issue. On Monday, immediately after learning about the detention of the reserve soldiers, chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee Yuli Edelstein ordered to "summon her" for an emergency discussion in the committee.
Communications Minister Shlomo Karai directly referred to the law in his speech in the Knesset plenum last week, saying that "it prohibits IDF soldiers from eliminating Hamas policemen and Hamas personnel. Talk to IDF soldiers, who say they are prohibited from shooting at terrorists on aid trucks."
Demonstrators who arrived at Sde Teiman on Monday afternoon broke though its gates, accompanied by Knesset members.
In less than two hours later, members of the Knesset were already seen participating in the stormy demonstrations at the entrance to the military base in the south where the terrorists are being held. Knesset lawmaker Zvi Sukkot of the religious Zionist Party led by Bezalel Smotrich was filmed entering the base without permission through a breach in the fence. Later, he was recorded calling on the protesters not to confront the soldiers there. “We have no other army, this is an important demonstration, let’s go outside and not fight with the soldiers,” he said.
Other lawmakers filmed inside the base include Nissim Vaturi, Almog Cohen and Limor Son-Har.
Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir offered his support to the detained soldiers, calling on military police to "take their hands off the reservists." And, he added, "soldiers should get our full backing." Ben-Gvir did not speak to the protesters around the base at all - and did not try to calm them either. Minister of Immigration and Absorption Ofir Sofer claimed that "the conduct of the prosecutor's office toward the reservists during the war is unacceptable. The reservists, who these days are serving an unprecedented number of reserve days, are entitled to fair and honorable treatment. It is forbidden under any circumstances to turn the IDF bases into areas of conflict or protest. The IDF must be completely removed from the political arena, no matter how justified the protest."
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also wrote a message on the X network to the military police: "Take your hands off the fighters, our heroes," and only late in the evening called on protesters not to break into the bases.
The situation soon deteriorated in Beit Lid, where the soldiers were taken for questioning. At the same time as protests were taking place in Sde Teiman, Knesset member Tali Gottlieb arrived at a protest in Beit Lid, near the base, where she was recorded speaking on a truck with masked armed men wearing uniforms standing next to it.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and President Isaac Herzog, waited many hours before publishing condemnations of what happened in Sde Teiman. Gallant, later, called on the police to intervene in evacuating the protesters from Beit Lid. Netanyahu issued one statement calling on the protesters to back down. In the evening, Smotrich expressed support for the protest, but called to avoid breaking into the bases.
Knesset lawmaker Zvi Sukkot of the religious Zionist Party commented on his conduct throughout the day, telling Ynet that "It was certainly appropriate to let me enter the Sde Teiman camp - by virtue of my position as a Knesset member with immunity. My role is to supervise the executive authority." According to him, "During a busy day of discussions in the Knesset committees, I heard and saw the videos from Sde Teiman, and I immediately drove toward the base. In my office, we did not go on vacation. I will continue to carry out my public mission wherever I am required."
Lawmaker Son Har-Melech, who attended the protest referred to the accusations against the soldiers who were investigated , saying: "The one who should stand trial today is the military police who arrested the best of our fighters with false claims, and by its actions is helping the enemy and weakening the strength of our soldiers."
Vaturi said that once he arrived at the protest at Sde Teiman, he spoke with the commander of the Negev region who asked for his help, and then began to assist in evacuate protesters and calming things down.
"I wasn't present at the base break-in, I was on the other side of the demonstration and I didn't see anything related to that," he stressed. "But the essence here is not what is done with the base, the essence is a violent, illegal arrest reminiscent of dark regimes against our best fighters who are sent to carry out the mission that no one wants to carry out."
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi visited troops at the Beit Lid base on Monday night, following the large break-in at the base to protest the questioning of the reservists. He said such protests harm the military,
“We came to Beit Lid… to make sure that nothing more serious happens. The arrival of rioters and attempts to break into the bases is serious behavior, against the law, bordering on anarchy, harming the IDF, the security of the state and the war effort,” he says.
Paratrooper soldiers returning to Beit Lid base from fighting in Gaza are cheered by protesters
(Video: Raanan Ben Tzur)
During the protests, paratroopers who left after fighting in Gaza attempted to return to the base. Because the protesters blocked the entrance to the base for many hours, the soldiers had to get off the bus at the police checkpoint near Kfar Yona and walk to the base, a distance of about one and a half kilometers, with their equipment on their backs. The protestors who saw them applauded for them.