Mainstream Media Is Ignoring Israel’s Sexual Torture

For the past two weeks, a sickening scandal around Israeli torture of Palestinians has roiled the country’s politics. Many Americans likely have no idea about it, because mainstream media is all but ignoring it.

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People walk past the New York Times building on July 27, 2017, in New York City. (Spencer Platt / Getty Images)


For the past few weeks, Israel has been caught up in a scandal around torture at its Sde Teiman detention camp involving an act so nauseatingly heinous, you should only keep reading if you have a strong stomach.

In late July, ten Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers at the facility were arrested for raping a male inmate, specifically by inserting something into his anus that damaged his internal organs and necessitated surgery to save his life. The arrests sparked a riot by far-right politicians and other extremists outraged at the punishment, who stormed the prison and another military base.

Then, at the start of August, respected Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem released a report detailing the unspeakable torture at the facility, titled “Welcome to Hell.” Roughly a week later, as the soldiers went on trial, both the United States and the European Union felt the need to publicly express horror at the torture and call for an investigation. About this same time, video footage of the rape was unearthed and publicly released.

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