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[Global Network Report] Recently, a video of Israeli soldiers abusing Palestinian prisoners was exposed, which attracted criticism from the international community. According to the Israeli Times on August 8, Israeli right-wing journalist Yehuda Schlesinger said on the show on the 7th that he believed the sexual abuse of Palestinian prisoners was justified and advocated that this should become "Israel's standard national policy." On the 8th, Schlesinger retracted his previous remarks and admitted his mistake.

Israeli right-wing journalist Yehuda Schlesinger made comments on a TV show on August 7. Photo from The Times of Israel

According to reports, Schlesinger said on a TV show on the 7th when talking about the controversial video, "The only problem is that it is not standard state policy to abuse these detainees. Because generally speaking, they deserve it, and it is great revenge." He added that this may also "serve as a deterrent."

However, Schlesinger retracted his remarks on the 8th. He said on a radio program that he had received "completely reasonable criticism" and "this was a mistake, I was wrong, and people should not defend criminal behavior."

Israel's Channel 12 broadcast a surveillance video of Israeli soldiers abusing Palestinian prisoners on the 7th. It is not clear how the media obtained the video. The crime scene was a secret prison in Israel's Negev Desert, which was established in October 2023 and once held hundreds of Palestinians. The video shows that 25 prisoners were lying in the yard of the prison. A group of masked Israeli soldiers appeared, picked out a man from the prisoners and took him away, and then took him to the corner of the yard to sexually abuse him. During the abuse, the group of soldiers also used shields to build a "shield wall" to avoid surveillance cameras.

Regarding the incident of Israeli soldiers abusing prisoners, the Israeli government arrested nine Israeli soldiers last week on suspicion of abusing Palestinian prisoners, but this move triggered strong protests from Israel's far-right forces and some politicians, who claimed that "these soldiers are heroes and should not be arrested."

Regarding Israel's "heinous" atrocities, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turco said: "The testimonies we collected show that Israel has carried out a series of shocking acts, including waterboarding prisoners and letting dogs bite prisoners. These acts are a blatant violation of international human rights law and international humanitarianism." US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller also said on the 7th that the United States had also seen this "horrible" sexual abuse video, "In any case, the human rights of prisoners need to be respected. When there are violations, the Israeli government needs to take steps to investigate those accused of abuse and hold them accountable where appropriate."