By Simon Lewis
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Israel should fully investigate allegations of sexual abuse against Palestinian detainees by its soldiers, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Wednesday, calling for "zero tolerance" for perpetrators.
Asked about a video, aired by Israel's Channel 12, that appeared to show soldiers taking a detainee out of sight of surveillance cameras to carry out abuses and about broader allegations of abuses against prisoners, Miller said U.S. officials had reviewed the video.
“We have seen the video, and reports of sexual abuse of detainees are horrific. They ought to be investigated fully by the government of Israel, by the IDF," Miller said, referring to the Israel Defense Forces.
"There ought to be zero tolerance for sexual abuse, rape of any detainee, period. ... If there are detainees who have been sexually assaulted or raped, the government of Israel, the IDF need to fully investigate those actions and hold anyone responsible accountable to the full extent of the law.”
The White House also called the reports of rape, torture and abuse of Palestinian prisoners "deeply concerning."
"It is essential that the rule of law and due process prevail," said White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre.
A spokesperson for Israel's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
But the Israeli military, which runs some detention facilities where Palestinian prisoners have been held, said in response to earlier allegations that it operated according to the rule of law and any specific claims of abuse were investigated.
The video appearing to show an incident of abuse emerged amid an investigation by Israeli authorities into alleged abuse of Palestinian prisoners by soldiers.
The investigation sparked protests by right-wing Israelis, who broke into two military facilities after military police detained nine soldiers over allegations of severe abuse of a detainee captured in Gaza by army reservists at the Sde Teiman detention facility in southern Israel.
“It is appropriate that the IDF in this case has announced an investigation has arrested a number of people who are alleged to have been involved," the State Department's Miller said.
"I won’t speak to the outcome of that investigation, but it ought to proceed swiftly, and if they are determined to be in violation of criminal laws or violations of the IDF’s code of conduct, then ,of course, they ought to be held accountable.”
Israeli rights group B'Tselem said in a report on Monday that Israel has conducted a systematic policy of prisoner abuse and torture since the start of the Gaza war in October, subjecting Palestinian detainees to acts ranging from arbitrary violence to sexual abuse.