Honenu Attorney Adi Keidar; Photo credit: Honenu
Monday, March 10, 2025, 14:10 In March 2023, two Yehuda and Shomron residents were detained and interrogated by the GSS on suspicion of damaging Arab property. The detainees reported to Honenu Attorney Adi Keidar that they had been sexually harassed by their interrogators. Attorney Keidar filed a complaint on behalf of the accused with Mivtan, the department of the Justice Ministry authorized to investigate complaints by GSS detainees. Recently, the State Attorney’s office issued a reply on behalf of Mivtan, in which the GSS admitted that a male interrogator had touched one of the detainees in an inappropriate manner.
In his complaint, Attorney Keidar described the harassment that the detainee underwent: “My client was interrogated by a female interrogator who sexually harassed him by forcibly kissing his cheeks several times. … During the interrogation, a male interrogator violently put his legs between my client’s knees and then put his hands on my client’s legs and stroked his knees. The interrogator also spat at the detainee several times, resulting in saliva landing on his cheek. The detainee was fitted with restraints on his hands and feet the entire time.”
The State Attorney’s office replied: “The interrogator does not deny that he accidentally touched your client’s leg. However, there was no sexual intent.” Despite the admission of physical contact, the State Attorney’s office will not investigate the interrogator.
Attorney Keidar leveled criticism at the State Attorney’s office and the GSS: “It is not clear why in a civilized country an organization that considers itself to be a legal authority takes years to respond to a simple complaint. Nor is it clear why the interrogators were not investigated. It seems that the GSS is an authority that regards itself as above criticism. That has been made abundantly clear to the public, particularly after the colossal failure of the GSS on October 7.