Israel - June 2024

On 23 June, the Supreme Court of Israel ordered the government to disclose to the Court the conditions under which Palestinian detainees are held at the Sde Teiman detention camp in the Negev desert. This order comes after international media investigations reported allegations of torture and sexual violence against Palestinian detainees from Gaza. Several Israeli human rights organizations petitioned the Court to close the detention center, citing severe abuse, including beatings, medical neglect, and arbitrary punishments. Prisoners were reportedly blindfolded and handcuffed within fenced compounds. The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture urged Israel to thoroughly investigate these allegations. Despite the Israel Defense Forces previously informing the Court on 5 June of plans to gradually transfer detainees out of Sde Teiman and phase out its use, the facility remained partially occupied, prompting the Supreme Court to order updated information. Out of the approximately 4,000 Palestinian detainees held at Sde Teiman since October 2023, 36 had reportedly died by late May.  

Update: On 18 September, the Court rejected the request to order the closure of Sde Teiman, citing a reduction in the number of detainees (from 700 in June to 24 as of 1 September) and improvements in facility management, as claimed by the State during the hearings. However, the Court mandated the State to comply with Israeli law on detainee treatment. The Court did not deal with other related issues, such as the denial of Red Cross visits, under separate judicial review, and the ongoing military investigations into torture allegations. 

Sources: Supreme Court of Israel (1), Haaretz (1), The Times of Israel (1), The Times of Israel (2), CNN, United Nations, Supreme Court of Israel (2), Haaretz (2), The Times of Israel (3), Lawfare

On 25 June, Israel’s Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision to revoke the longstanding exemption from military conscription previously granted to Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) men. The ruling mandates that the state must now start to draft students from Haredi yeshivas –schools dedicated to the intensive study of Rabbinic literature– into the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). In its decision, the Court emphasized the “principle of equality” in military service, stressing that it must apply equally to yeshiva students and other Jewish citizens to avoid “selective enforcement”. The decision sparked widespread protests and resulted in four arrests. The debate over compulsory military service in Israel has intensified amid the ongoing war in Gaza, with the IDF arguing for more personnel and the Haredim arguing that military service conflicts with their religious lifestyle.  

Sources: Supreme Court of Israel, Haaretz, Associated Press, The Times of Israel (1), The Times of Israel (2)