Far-right Israeli protesters getting donations from US, Canadian organizations: American media

By Salih Okuroglu

Zionist groups protesting the detention of Israeli soldiers accused of raping a Palestinian at the Sde Teiman detention center are being funded by organizations in the US and Canada, according to American media.

MintPress News, an independent media outlet based in the US, reported last week that footage of far-right groups protesting the detention shows some protesters wearing t-shirts from the Zionist groups Im Tirtzu and Torat Lechima.

Israeli media also noted that the far-right Lehava movement participated in the protests, and the Zionist legal aid organization Honenu is providing legal defense for the accused soldiers. All four of these groups are receiving support from "organizations outside Israel."

Im Tirtzu and Honenu receive donations from the New York-based Central Fund of Israel. Additionally, these two groups, along with Torat Lechima, accept financial support from the US, UK, and Canada through the Israeli fundraising platform JGive.

Im Tirtzu, which also has financial ties with the Zionist group "Mizrachi Canada," lists the "Kingjay Foundation Trust" and The Snider Foundation among its key donors.

The Lehava movement, which has been sanctioned by the US, EU, and UK due to violence against Palestinians, is reportedly supported by the US-based organization Tomchei Tzedaka, which collects donations for Israeli groups.

Lehava's US branch directs its "donations" section to Tomchei Tzedaka's page. However, when MintPress News inquired, Tomchei Tzedaka claimed it had "no connection" with Lehava.

- 'Israel's Guantanamo': Sde Teiman

The Sde Teiman Military Base, located in the Negev Desert in southern Israel and dubbed "Israel's Guantanamo," has been identified as the site where Palestinians detained from the Gaza Strip have been subjected to inhumane treatment, including rape and torture.

On July 29, Israel's state television KAN reported that nine soldiers had raped and beaten a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman Military Base, leaving him severely injured and hospitalized.

Following this report, military police launched an investigation, and the soldiers involved were arrested.

In response, an armed and masked group of far-right Israelis, including soldiers, stormed the military base to protest the detention of the soldiers accused of rape. The military court has placed five of the soldiers under house arrest.

Channel 12 television aired security camera footage showing Israeli soldiers raping the Palestinian detainee at Sde Teiman.

Palestinians detained since Oct. 7, 2023 are being held at the Sde Teiman detention center.

*Writing by Gizem Nisa Cebi in Istanbul