By Zein Khalil and Rania Abu Shamala
JERUSALEM /ISTANBUL (AA) - Israeli Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara on Wednesday approved the opening of a criminal investigation against Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu and Knesset members Nissim Vaturi and Zvi Sukkot over their involvement in the storming of the Sde Teiman military base last year, the Jerusalem Post reported.
In late July, right-wing protesters including Eliyahu, Vaturi and Sukkot along with armed soldiers stormed the notorious Sde Teiman detention facility in the Negev desert to protest the arrest by military police of soldiers accused of sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee.
On July 29, 10 reservist soldiers who served as guards at Sde Teiman were suspended over accusations of assaulting a Palestinian detainee, including sexual assault that caused serious injuries.
In February, an Israeli soldier was convicted of torturing Palestinian prisoners at Sde Teiman and sentenced to seven months in prison.
The notorious detention camp has been a site of abuse against Palestinian detainees captured by the Israeli army from Gaza, including incidents of sexual assault, according to Israeli media.
In response, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir described the decision to summon Eliyahu and the two Knesset members for police questioning as “a complete politicization of the law enforcement system,” according to Yedioth Ahronoth.
The attorney general’s decision presents a new challenge to the Israeli government, which on Sunday unanimously voted in favor of a no-confidence motion against her.
Although the government has voted to dismiss Baharav-Miara, it must still obtain the approval of the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee, which had originally recommended her appointment, to proceed with her removal, according to Haaretz.
On Wednesday, around 10,000 Israelis demonstrated in front of the government headquarters in West Jerusalem to protest changes to the Judicial Selection Committee, the dismissal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, and the government's intention to remove Baharav-Miara.
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