Over 60% Jews believe IDF soldiers should not face criminal charges for raping Palestinian prisoner: survey

A new survey by an Israeli think tank revealed that almost 65 percent of Israeli Jews believe that soldiers who raped a Palestinian prisoner should be disciplined by the military but should not face criminal charges.

The poll findings were released on Sunday by the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), an Israeli think tank affiliated with Tel Aviv University.

The survey results also indicated that 47% of Israeli Jews believe their military and government are not obligated to obey international law or moral standards during their onslaught in Gaza.

The survey comes in the wake of the arrest of nine Israeli soldiers on charges of gang-raping a Palestinian prisoner at the notorious Sde Teiman military facility, located in southern Israel's Negev desert, where Palestinian detainees are held.

Riots emerged in Israel on July 29 after far-right settlers stormed two army bases to free Israeli soldiers who were under arrest on charges of sexually abusing a Palestinian inmate.

As of Tuesday, five of the nine detained soldiers have been placed under house arrest, as the Israeli military has yet to decide whether to file criminal indictments.

Previously, Israeli lawmaker Hanoch Milwidsky justified the sexual abuse, declaring it “legitimate.”

During a meeting, Palestinian lawmaker Ahmad Tibi asked a member of the Israeli Knesset, Hanoch Milwidsky, if inflicting severe sexual abuse on detainees was justified.

"Yes! If he is a Nukhba (a Hamas unit), everything is legitimate to do to him," Milwidsky replied.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) received reports of torture at the Sde Teiman base and expressed concerns about the ill-treatment of detainees, who were reportedly urinated on, subjected to sexual abuse, and attacked by dogs.

“This included being subjected to beatings while made to lie on a thin mattress on top of rubble for hours without food, water, or access to a toilet, with their legs and hands bound with plastic ties. Several detainees reported being forced into cages and attacked by dogs. Some released detainees, including a child, had dog bite wounds on their bodies," the report revealed.