Israel - November 2025

On 3 November, authorities arrested Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, the former top military lawyer, and Matan Solomesh, the former chief military prosecutor, for disclosing a video showing Israeli soldiers abusing a Palestinian detainee at Sde Teiman prison. The footage documented severe violence, including acts of sexual violence. Tomer-Yerushalmi, who resigned from her post, admitted authorizing the disclosure to counter misinformation about military investigations and to ensure the abuse was not concealed. The prosecution has sparked concern that, in a legal framework that offers limited protection for whistleblowing (with no statutory ‘public interest’ defense to shield whistleblowers), the case is likely to further deter others in the military from exposing serious wrongdoing, reinforcing a broader climate of impunity.

Sources: The New Arab, Al Jazeera, Haaretz, International IDEA, The Israel Democracy Institute

On 10 November, the Knesset passed in its first reading (39–16) a bill that would amend the penal code to require courts to impose the death penalty on anyone convicted of killing an Israeli if the act was motivated by ‘racism’ or intended to harm ‘the State of Israel’ or ‘the rebirth of the Jewish people.’ Rights groups have condemned the bill, warning that it overturns decades of progress on abolishing the death penalty (which was removed for murder in Israel in 1954). Further, they caution it is inherently discriminatory, as it would in practice apply primarily to Palestinians while imposing no comparable mandatory penalty on Israeli Jews convicted of killing Palestinians. The bill, which would be applied retroactively, will now move to committee review and must pass two additional parliamentary readings before being approved into law.

Sources: Knesset, The Jerusalem Post, The Times of Israel, Al Jazeera, Amnesty International 

On 30 November, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu submitted a formal request for a presidential pardon to President Isaac Herzog in connection with his ongoing corruption trial. In the request, Netanyahu argued that the proceedings 'harm national unity' and 'distract' him from governing. The move is highly unusual, as pardons in Israel are typically granted only after a conviction. The request is currently under legal review by the Justice Ministry and the Office of the President.

Sources: The Jerusalem Post, Al Jazeera, The Israel Democracy Institute