The Tiberias Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday indicted three individuals involved in a coverup of sexual offenses against female jailers by Palestinian inmates at the Gilboa Prison. Palestinian prisoner Mahmoud Atallah was indicted of raping a female IDF prison guard and sexually assaulting another prison guard.
Former prison commander Bassem Kashkosh and the prison’s former intelligence officer Rani Basha were indicted on charges including breach of trust and failure to perform duties.
Following a complaint filed by a female prison guard at Gilboa Prison, Atallah was investigated in November 2017 on suspicion of sexually harassing her and two other female guards between 2016-2017.
In June 2018, an additional investigation was launched by the Israel Police Lahav 433 special investigations unit. At the end of the investigation, the State Attorney's Office concluded there was insufficient evidence to file charges against Israel Prison Service officers in command roles at Gilboa Prison and the case was closed.
In 2020, however, the State Attorney's Office filed an indictment against Atallah for sexual offenses against three female guards, a case that is still ongoing.
Following an appeal by the three guards against the decision to close the other case, the matter resurfaced in November 2021 when former prison commander Freddy Ben Shitrit testified before the government commission investigating the escape of prisoners from Gilboa Prison, confirming female soldiers serving as guards were sexually assaulted.
After a renewed investigation and review, Attorney General Amit Isman accepted the guards' appeal and decided to file indictments, pending a hearing, against Kashkosh and Basha, as well as an additional indictment against Atallah. The court rejected the defense's arguments during the hearings and the indictments were officially filed on Tuesday.
The indictment against the terrorist Atallah, who is serving a life sentence and an additional 15 years for the murder of a Palestinian woman suspected of collaborating with Israel, accuses him of rape and sexual assault committed between 2015-2016 against two female soldiers who served as prison guards.
The indictment against Kashkosh and Basha charges them with breach of trust and failure to perform duties. The indictment, filed by the Northern District Attorney's Office, noted that in 2017, two guards reported about Atallah’s sexual misconduct toward both men, who failed to pursue the guard’s complaints.
According to the prosecution, the two men failed to report the incidents and did nothing to prevent further sexual harm to the young guards. After the two guards reported the incidents to Basha, Atallah approached the former intelligence officer, asking him to assign a specific female guard to his wing.
The indictment also alleges that Basha complied with the request, creating a risk of further sexual harm to the guard during her shift.
Atallah is already facing legal proceedings for indecent acts against female soldier-guards. The trial began in 2020, and the Northern District Attorney's Office had even asked the guards involved to reach a plea deal with Atallah, reducing the charges to assaulting a public servant. The guards refused and the charges of sexual harassment remained.