The main suspect in the Sde Teiman gang rape case is now a media star in Israel – Mondoweiss

Three weeks ago, Israel's right-wing Channel 14 aired a ten-minute interview with one of the suspects in the Sde Teiman gang rape case. Masked, wearing a uniform and with a gun slung over his shoulder, he received several standing ovations from the studio audience as he told his story of being unfairly treated as a victim of the Sde Teiman affair.

Just two days later, he came forward and revealed his identity in a video. The suspect, now known to be Meir Ben-Shitrit, began by removing his mask and saying, “Shabbat Shalom to all the people of Israel, this is Meir from Force 100.” He then read the Bible episode of the week from Deuteronomy 1:16-18:

“And I commanded your judges at that time: 'Hear the disputes between your people and judge fairly, whether it is a case between two Israelites or between an Israelite and a foreigner who lives among you. Do not be partial in your judgment; listen equally to the small and the great. Do not be afraid of anyone, for the judgment belongs to God. Bring me a case that is too difficult for you, and I will hear it.' And at that time I told you everything you should do.”

Ben-Shitrit concluded his speech by calling on the population to unite “for the truth” and demonstrate for the release of all gang rape suspects.

The following Monday, he was interviewed again by Channel 14, this time revealing his identity to the country on mainstream television.

Ben-Shitrit said the charges against him were baseless and accused him of conspiracy (“They have nothing and everything is fabricated. I know the mood of such fabricated cases, I know it very well”). He said an encounter with a woman in Tel Aviv led him to reveal his identity:

“This reality was very humiliating. Seeing a woman in Tel Aviv come up to me and say, 'You raped a terrorist.' That made me want to go crazy, take off the gloves, take off the mask and fight for my innocence.”

A media star is born

On August 26, Ben-Shitrit was invited to do his longest interview to date on Channel 14. It lasted 11 minutes on the show “Fathi and Shai”, which usually also offers light-hearted satire. They promoted him on the channel all day as if he were a star and in the evening they conducted a serious interview with him. It began with a summary of his “Mask Off” video.

Ben-Shitrit was asked about his interrogation two days earlier. Without going into detail, he said the interrogation was “nice and respectful.” He gave credit to the interrogators for being professional. When interviewers then asked “what happened there” in Sde Teiman, Ben-Shitrit mocked Channel 12 news reporter Guy Peleg, who had originally broadcast the security camera footage showing the rape, by calling him “Guy Hamefaleg” — “Hamefaleg” means “the one who sows discord.” Interviewers were impressed by the nickname, “nice guy,” they commented. “He divided the nation,” Ben-Shitrit said of Peleg, repeating his claims that the soldiers had followed standard procedure and that the accusations against him and his comrades were merely attempts to defame the soldiers and perhaps even “an attempt to end the war.”

At one point, presenter Noam Fathi supports Ben-Shitrit’s claim that hiding the prisoner behind the shields, as shown in the Channel 12 video, is “standard procedure”:

“That’s logical, because it’s also directed against the other Nukhbas.”

“They’re watching,” adds Ben-Shitrit.

Fathi explains: “That is also logical, because you don’t show 100 prisoners how a search is carried out, and you have to do that on site.”

Ben-Shitrit is asked about the specific “nukhba,” the term used to describe a Palestinian fighter who was directly involved in the October 7 attack. They ignore the proven fact that the victim was not involved in the attack at all, but merely a police officer in an anti-narcotics unit in Jabalia.

Ben-Shitrit says he doesn't know anything special about him, but he knows “how they boast” when they rape and murder Israelis. He says his unit, Force 100, is not there to be nice to prisoners. The presenters follow his example: “One of them could murder! … They are crazy murderers!”

Now moderator Shai Goldshtein is really getting emotional:

“I put myself in your shoes. You are standing in front of these people, really the most despicable people you can imagine, who have done the most horrific things to our people, to our brothers and sisters – I think if I were there and had the chance, I would fight these people with all my might.”

Ben-Shitrit responds that the military prosecutor and the entire nation should “kiss our hands” because the troops are behaving so ethically and doing “sacred work.” He continues:

“We could have just drawn our weapons and killed them all on the ground, it's the nature of the beast because you want to kill that person with a machete… I'm ready until my hand gets tired.”

But then he backs off: “But we are a constitutional state, and these are the Israeli armed forces, and international law applies.”¹

This was not the first time Ben-Shitrit had shared his murder fantasies. These comments were reminiscent of an earlier video he made in June 2023, when he was a reservist in the West Bank. In it, he wondered:

“Why can't we go in with Negev machine guns? Why can't we go in with MAG machine guns? And why can't we go in with the power of a grenade launcher into a place full of terrorists? Two days ago, all these terrorists were there, 150 to 200 armed terrorists. Why don't we send three or four attack helicopters into the air and shoot at everyone?”

Ben-Shitrit says that “the entire nation of Israel, right, left, religious, secular” has these “desires.” “This is what must be done with these…” Ben-Shitrit trails off, but the moderator finishes his sentence and delivers the derogatory terms: “Monsters, scum.”

Despite his wishes, Ben-Shitrit claims to have ultimately kept himself under control: “We maintained a very, very high level of morale.”

“Has the state betrayed you?” he is asked.

“Very much, it is very offensive,” he says.

He claims that military police interrogators are “embarrassed” to even have to deal with the case. He says he revealed his identity to “take one for the team.”

Fathi is now angry about the reporting, which he considers unfair. But he “thinks of one thing: the kidnapped people in Gaza, the same thing could happen to them?!” He means rape. “What do you mean by could?” Shai interjects. “They paid [with their body]and we don’t know who, what or how much!”

Ben-Shitrit is asked about his experiences since his revealing interview and the reaction of people on the street.

“A lot of love and warmth,” he says. “A lot of hugs. In Tel Aviv I got two comments like 'rape', but the majority of people in Israel, including in Tel Aviv, hug me often, give me a lot of love, we get a lot of presents, I got a holiday package…”

But as if that wasn’t enough, Fathi wants to help even more.

“Tell me,” says Fathi, “our audience wants to know: Do you need something? Are you financially strapped? Do you need financing for lawyers?”

“Of course, of course,” Ben-Shitrit replies. He promotes Force 100's fundraising link displayed on the screen by the network. It is said that he is currently unemployed, but he is a construction contractor, so Fathi jokes:

“If anyone needs a contractor who knows how to dismantle a Nukhba well…”

They burst out.

But seriously, says Shai, “If someone needs anything” … “they will get in touch with you,” assures Fathi.

Ben-Shitrit ends his speech by saying that he wants unity, “peace between us” (by which he means between Israelis and not with the Palestinians). At the end there are handshakes: “Meir Ben-Shitrit, a hero! A hero of Force 100! Good luck!”

Mask off

Ben-Shitrit and his companions are unlikely to win this case in court. After all, this one case is based on about 100 individual statements, as reported by Haaretz. But they are trying with all their might to win over public opinion. And here Channel 14, which has repeatedly broadcast snuff videos of the systematic torture in these camps, has played a key role in spreading the story that these gang rape suspects are in fact victims.

This story is just one of many from a network of torture camps, of which Sde Teiman is just “the tip of the iceberg,” according to Israeli human rights NGO B'tselem, which has documented how Palestinians are “frequently subjected to severe arbitrary violence, sexual assault, humiliation and degradation, deliberate starvation, enforced lack of hygiene, sleep deprivation, restriction and punishment of religious practice, confiscation of all group and private property, and denial of adequate medical care.”

Not only Ben-Shitrit has taken off his mask, but Israel as a whole.

Notes

1. It should be noted that according to the same poll by the Israel Institute for National Security Studies, which found that 65% of Jewish Israelis oppose prosecution of the gang rape suspects, 47% of Jewish Israelis responded that “Israel does not have to abide by international law and uphold moral values ​​in war.”