In a dramatic development, IDF Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi submitted her resignation on Friday after acknowledging she authorized the release of a surveillance video from the Sde Teiman detention facility that allegedly showed severe abuse of a Palestinian detainee.

Tomer-Yerushalmi, who had been on leave since police opened a criminal probe into the leak earlier this week, met with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir Friday morning and handed over a resignation letter she had prepared Thursday.

During their meeting, Tomer-Yerushalmi told Zamir that she was personally responsible for leaking the video to the media.

In her resignation letter, Tomer-Yerushalmi wrote: “I approved the release of material to the media in an attempt to counter the false propaganda directed against the military law enforcement authorities.”

She is expected to be questioned under caution by investigators in the coming days.

Defense Minister Israel Katz, who said prior to the resignation that Tomer-Yerushalmi would be removed, commented after the announcement: “The military advocate general resigned, and rightly so,” Katz said in a later statement. “Anyone who spreads blood libels against IDF soldiers is not worthy of wearing the IDF uniform.”

A month ago, the Justice Ministry informed the Supreme Court that it did not intend to investigate the leak of the Sde Teiman video, falsely claiming that the leaked video did not harm state security nor reveal classified information.

The document also noted that, with the approval of the Deputy State Prosecutor and various investigative bodies, it was determined that no further investigative action could identify the source of the leak, and the inquiry had therefore been closed.

The leaked video, however, was used by anti-Israel elements as propaganda, claiming that its publication by Israeli media proved the terrorists’ allegations.

It should be noted that the State Prosecutor’s Office also falsely accused five Israelis of “murdering” a Nukhba terrorist on October 7, 2023.

Former defense minister Yoav Gallant says Tomer-Yerushalmi lied to him about an internal investigation into the leaked Sde Teiman abuse video.

He posted the following on X:

Immediately after the leak of the video, I instructed that a swift investigation be opened to identify the leaker and bring them to justice.

I summoned the Military Advocate General to my office to understand why the investigation was dragging its feet. I asked her why the leaker had not been identified. In her response, as is now clear to all, the Military Advocate General deliberately lied and said that “the investigation is prolonged because dozens of people were exposed to the video.”

In a place where integrity is supposed to be the central value, a severe blow was dealt to the IDF’s values and a grave breach of trust was committed.

The Military Advocate General’s letter of resignation is a mockery and proof that she has not internalized the gravity of her actions.

The full force of the law must be brought to bear on anyone who harms the IDF, and certainly on those who are supposed to ensure that the law and orders are a guiding light for IDF fighters.

I trust in the IDF and our fighters—they are the shield that grants life to the State of Israel.

Minister Bezalel Smotrich says the leak of the Sde Teiman detainee abuse video, with the approval of the IDF’s military advocate general, is just “the tip of the iceberg” in rampant corruption:

As someone who has been shouting for many years about the corruption of the Israeli justice system and the critical importance of fixing it, I’m not surprised. This is barely the tip of the iceberg. May it be fixed, God willing.

1. An independent and impartial investigation is required, outside the prosecution, which is in a clear conflict of interest.

2. It’s likely that this isn’t the only lie and cover-up. This is the first one that was caught, but it symbolizes the tip of an iceberg of corruption and a sense among law enforcement officials that they are above the law.

3. Immunity from prosecution must be granted to the officer who exposed the truth, in the hope that it will encourage other elements to expose leaks, lies, and cover-ups from within the law enforcement system. And there are a great many of them.

4. A new Military Advocate General must be appointed from outside the system. One who is free of commitments, will clean out the stables, and restore trust that the system operates for the benefit of IDF fighters and not against them.

5. This is a painful and difficult day for all of us, but draining the pus is the first and necessary stage in healing.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)