MK Zvi Sukkot summoned for questioning due to role in Sde Teiman riots

The Sde Teiman riots, where protesters and several MKs breached the base, occured in March 2024.

MKZvi Sukkot (Religious Zionist Party) was summoned for questioning by Israel Police on Sunday for his involvement in the Sde Teiman riots, more than a year after footage from the scene showed him breaking into the military base.

The hearing will take place on November 11. Members of Sukkot’s team confirmed that “he will appear.”

Sde Teiman is a military base in the Negev that was turned into a detention facility during the Israel-Hamas war, to hold Palestinians captured in Gaza under the Unlawful Combatants Law, which allows temporary detention without a court order.

This law gives authorities the power to detain individuals who take part in hostilities against Israel but do not qualify as prisoners of war under the Geneva Conventions. Originally meant for specific security cases, it has since become a legal framework for detaining Palestinians from Gaza without charge or trial, particularly during wartime.

Under a 2023 amendment, detention without a formal order can last up to 45 days, and without judicial review for 75 days. The law allows theIDF Chief of Staff (or his delegates) to issue internment orders based on “reasonable grounds” and presumes that the detainee’s release would endanger national security.

Human rights organizations, as well as international law experts, have criticized the law for enabling indefinite detention and weakening due process protections, which they say violate Israel’s obligations under both domestic and international law.

Beatings, prolonged blindfolding, and lack of medical care

In Sde Teiman, serious abuse allegations emerged from the facility over time. Reports across varied outlets described beatings, prolonged blindfolding, lack of medical care, and other mistreatment of detainees. Human rights groups said the conditions violated both Israeli and international law.

Last September, the High Court of Justice ordered the state to improve conditions and bring Sde Teiman under full legal oversight.

A few months prior, on July 29, 2024, military police arrested nine reservists suspected of severely abusing a Palestinian detainee at the facility. The detainee had serious internal injuries, including broken ribs and rectal tearing, according to reports.

The arrests set off protests by far-right activists, families of soldiers, and several lawmakers, who claimed the soldiers were being punished for doing their job. Demonstrators gathered at the Sde Teiman base and later at Beit Lid, where the suspects were being held.

Some broke through the gates of military property; among them were lawmakers, including Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu (Otzma Yehudit) and Likud MK Nissim Vaturi.

The riots were condemned by then-defense minister Yoav Gallant, the military chief, and legal officials, who called the incidents dangerous and unlawful. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also criticized the violence.

One month later, in August 2024, five reservists were formally indicted for abusing the detainee, and one was later convicted and jailed under a plea deal.

The Supreme Court continues to review Sde Teiman’s legal status, including Israel’s decision to block International Red Cross access to detainees. The facility remains operational but under scrutiny.

Keshet Neev contributed to this report.