LONDON: Israeli journalist Guy Peleg has faced sustained threats and harassment following his broadcast of leaked footage in 2024 that purportedly shows the sexual abuse of a Palestinian prisoner at the Sde Teiman detention center.
After airing the video — obtained from the Military Advocate General Corps — Peleg has been targeted by right-wing activists, politicians and media figures. Israeli Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu suggested on social media that Peleg should be jailed for distributing the footage.
Broadcast in August 2024 on an Israeli news channel, the footage showed reserve soldiers at the Sde Teiman military base in southern Israel taking aside a detainee, then surrounding him with riot shields to block visibility while he was allegedly beaten and stabbed in the rectum with a sharp object.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed the video as “cooked up” and “edited,” claiming it inflicted “unspeakable damage to the State of Israel and the Israel Defense Forces.”
The controversy has triggered a fierce debate over military accountability, culminating in the resignation of the military advocate general, Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi.
In a statement on Monday, US-based media watchdog the Committee to Protect Journalists called the attacks against Peleg “deploring,” saying officials “should be safeguarding their (journalists) ability to report” instead of inciting retaliation and intimidation.
“The threats against Guy Peleg are unacceptable and contribute to a climate of fear around publishing critical reporting on Israel’s security establishment,” CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah said.
העבריין המורשע מרדכי דוד, הפעם מטריד את גיא פלג @guypch2news.
זה יגמר רע ושלא תגידו שלא הזהרנו.
לא ברור למה שלטונות החוק לא עוצרים זאת.
המקהלה ממשיכה לדחוף אותו ישר לזרועות בית הכלא, ודקה אחר כך ישכחו ממנו.
— אדי ווסר (@Eddiewasser) November 12, 2025
On Nov. 12, right-wing activist Mordechai David, accompanied by others, confronted Peleg outside a building in Tel Aviv, taunting him and blocking access to his car.
“Why did you distribute a video about IDF soldiers? Guy Peleg, anywhere in the world you will need a police escort to get to your car so that you don’t get blocked,” David shouted, as seen in an online video.
In any earlier incident, a small group from the “Lions of the Right” demonstrated outside Peleg’s home in Herzliya, prompting police to provide him and his family with protection. Channel 12 subsequently assigned Peleg a security detail pending further notice.
According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, David — who has a record of assaulting anti-government and pro-hostage deal demonstrators — was later questioned by police and prohibited from contacting Peleg for 15 days.
Discussing the ordeal on his 103 FM radio show, Peleg described the pressures he faces as symptomatic of “rising political extremism.” He added, “The problem is that he’s not alone (referring to David). The problem is that he is embraced by central ministers in the government.”
The incident comes amid growing concerns about press freedom in Israel, highlighted by official moves to restrict independent reporting and public criticism of the military.
