Sought to counter 'false propaganda against IDF law enforcement'

Full text of top IDF lawyer’s resignation letter over detainee abuse video leak

Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi ends 30 years of service, including four-year tenure as Military Advocate General: ‘I bear full responsibility for material released to the media’

The following is the text of Military Advocate General  Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi’s resignation letter submitted to IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir on October 31, 2025. This Times of Israel translation retained the original document’s format and wording.

Subject: Notice of conclusion of my tenure as Military Advocate General

At the end of four years in which I have served as the Military Advocate General, and after thirty years of service in the IDF, I wish to inform you of my decision to conclude my tenure.

The role of Military Advocate General has been the highlight of my military service. I have had the privilege of serving in a series of positions at the heart of legal and military activity. I fulfilled the role of Military Advocate General out of a deep sense of responsibility. I have regarded, and still regard, it as a great privilege to lead a strong and independent unit that has stood, and will always stand, at the center of Israel’s legal activity.

On October 7, 2023, the IDF and the entire nation experienced a shock unlike anything we have known. From the first day of the war, officers of the Military Advocate General stood alongside IDF commanders on all fronts to assist them in achieving the war’s objectives in accordance with the law.

This is the longest and most complex war our generation has known. It is also the most legal war we have known. Legal activity during the war became a front in its own right — the legal front. It was characterized by an unprecedented scope of complex and sensitive issues, with far-reaching implications for the fighting. Under my command, the Military Advocate General contributed to the IDF’s freedom of action by ensuring that its operations were conducted in accordance with the law.

The IDF is a moral and law-abiding army. Therefore, even in a prolonged and painful war, there is an obligation to investigate suspicions of unlawful acts. This is our legal and ethical duty. It does not weaken or harm the IDF. On the contrary. It is a source of strength. It is a guarantee of the army’s resilience, protecting it and its personnel from within and out.

Accordingly, the decision to open an investigation regarding the incident at the Sde Teiman base was necessary. Indeed, those detained at Sde Teiman are terrorists and terror operatives of the worst kind. It is imperative to bring them to justice. Yet this does not diminish our duty to investigate when there is reasonable suspicion of violence against a detainee.

Unfortunately, this basic understanding — that there are actions which must never be taken even against the vilest of detainees — no longer convinces everyone.

In the past two years, I have had to act in defense of the unit and its personnel against an illegitimate and false campaign of delegitimization. Officers of the Military Advocate General have found themselves subjected to personal attacks, harsh insults and even real threats. All because we have stood guard over the rule of law in the IDF — together with and alongside its commanders.

This destructive campaign reached its peak following the decision to investigate the Sde Teiman affair. In this case, alongside slanderous statements directed at law enforcement authorities within the IDF, there were also grave and unprecedented acts, including a mass break-in at the Sde Teiman base and at the base housing the military court. The campaign of incitement was accompanied by severe allegations suggesting that we favor terrorists over our own troops. This campaign continues to this very day and inflicts deep and serious harm upon the IDF, its image, and the morale and resilience of its soldiers and commanders.

As the head of the Military Advocate General, and out of a deep sense of responsibility toward the IDF, the unit, and my subordinates, I approved the release of material to the media in an attempt to counter the false propaganda directed against the military law enforcement authorities. I bear full responsibility for any material that was released to the media from within the unit. From this responsibility also stems my decision to conclude my tenure as Military Advocate General.

Throughout all my positions, I have acted to uphold the rule of law within the IDF. No other purpose has ever guided me. This objective also underpinned my actions in the Sde Teiman affair.

This is not how I planned to conclude my military service, yet the current circumstances do not diminish the immense pride and deep gratitude I feel for the privilege I have had to serve in an exemplary organization and to lead the Military Advocate General during this challenging period.

My heartfelt thanks go to all my subordinates — the men and women of the Military Advocate General — outstanding individuals who carry out their duties with boundless dedication and a profound sense of mission.

I thank my colleagues in the General Staff for their friendship and partnership along the way.

And I thank you, chief of staff, for the way you are leading the IDF during this historic period, and for the important place you assign to upholding the rule of law within the IDF.

Sincerely,

Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi

Military Advocate General