Jerusalem, 9 November, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Judge Asher Kula, confirmed Sunday that he has suspended his involvement in the investigation into the Sde Teiman video leak following a conditional order from the High Court of Justice.
In a letter responding to the Movement for Quality Government (MQG), which earlier demanded that he halt his activities, Kula wrote, “It is obvious that when the aforementioned conditional order was issued, and out of caution and respect for the High Court’s decision, I refrained and will continue to refrain from acting on the matter until the High Court’s final decision.”
Justice Minister Yariv Levin appointed Kula, a retired judge who serves as Ombudsman for Judges, to investigate former Military Advocate General yifat tomer-yerushalmi’s leak of a contentious video at the Sde Teiman detention center. Levin bypassed Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, whom he claims cannot investigate due to a conflict of interest.
Levin argued that Baharav-Miara’s office had previously submitted legal arguments to Israel’s High Court of Justice on behalf of the Military Advocate General’s Office, which he contends were inaccurate and misleading.
The MQG had sent an urgent letter to Kula, Levin and other senior judicial officials, arguing that his appointment to investigate the affair was illegal and tainted by a conflict of interest. The group cited Section 11 of the Ombudsman for Judges Law, which bars the commissioner from engaging in other occupations, and noted that required consultation with the Civil Service Commission had not taken place.
The movement also raised concerns that Kula’s son serves as Chief Military Censor, calling this a potential conflict of interest. “Given all of the reasons detailed above… we request that Commissioner Kola cease all attempts to interfere and assume illegal powers,” the MQG wrote.
Kula rejected the claims, saying, “I lawfully received a letter of appointment from the Minister of Justice,” and insisted there was “no substance” to the allegations. “The military censorship deals with the publication of the video, while my role concerns the investigation of the leak itself,” he added.
Kula emphasized he has “no personal interest in the matter” and said he would fully accept the court’s final decision.
Tomer-Yerushalmi, who recently resigned as the Israel Defense Forces’ top legal officer, is accused of fraud, breach of trust, abuse of office, obstruction of justice, and unlawful disclosure of classified material.
The video at the center of the case shows alleged abuse of a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman military detention facility. The Palestinian, whose name has not been publicly released, returned to Gaza on October 13 when Israel freed hundreds of Palestinian prisoners as part of an Israel-Hamas ceasefire. Five army reservists from the Force 100 Military Police unit were indicted in February for assault and causing severe injury. Honenu, a legal aid organization representing two of the reservists, called for the charges to be dropped.
Tomer-Yerushalmi was rushed to Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital on Sunday morning following a medical incident.
“She is conscious,” a shospital pokesperson said. The hospital did not specify if Tomer-Yerushalmi tried to take her life. The incident follows a recent staged suicide attempt that police suspect was part of an attempt to destroy her cellular phone.
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