This Israeli Advisor Was Confronted About The Stripped Palestinian Men And He Said It’s Warm In The Middle East
Senior Israeli advisor Mark Regev also said he’s not familiar with international humanitarian law, the rules of war.
Senior Israeli advisor Mark Regev was confronted on Sky News about recently surfaced videos and photos showing the Israeli military arresting and stripping dozens of Palestinian men in Gaza, and his answer was that it’s warm in the Middle East and that he is not familiar with international humanitarian law, the rules of war.
Regev, a senior advisor to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, appeared on an interview on Sky News with presenter Niall Paterson on Saturday Dec. 9.
Paterson opened the segment by asking Regev about viral footage – some of which were filmed by the Israeli military – showing dozens of Palestinian men bound, blindfolded and stripped down to their underwear.
“What was the purpose of the exercise that was going on at that point in that part of Gaza?” Paterson asked.
“First of all, remember, it’s the Middle East, and it’s warmer here, and especially during the day when it’s sunny,” Regev responded. “To be asked to take off your shirt, it might not be pleasant, but it’s not the end of the world.”
Regev then said that the Israeli military had been looking for people who would have concealed weapons such as suicide bombers with explosive vests, adding that anyone involved in the attack on Oct. 7 will be brought to justice.
Paterson agreed but pointed out that some of the men who were taken in the incident had since been freed, meaning that they were not Hamas fighters.
“Whilst you are entitled to round people up in that manner, what the IDF is not entitled to do, under the Geneva Convention, is breach the third convention, which you did, didn’t you, when you filmed them in those positions?”
The Geneva Convention, which form the basis of international humanitarian law, otherwise known as the rules of war, protects civilians from violence, humiliation and degrading treatment.
It also mandates that prisoners of war are treated with respect and humanely.
Regev responded by trying to dodge the question by saying that it was not formal material that was released by the Israeli military.
Paterson then hit back, saying that it was not the point.
“If it proves to have been filmed by the [Israeli military], that’s neither here nor there. Neither is the temperature in the Middle East,” he said.
Regev then said that it was important to remember the men were all military aged and captured in a combat zone and that it was not official video released by Israel.
But Paterson continued to press him on the question, saying that if the video has been filmed by the Israeli military, then it would be a violation of the Geneva Convention.
Regev then said he’s “not familiar with that level of international law”, adding that he will have to “check with his legal team” about whether it’s a breach or not.
“Well, it is,” Paterson said, before moving on with the next question.
The video has since gone viral on social media, with people praising Paterson’s reporting and calling out Regev for claiming ignorance about the international rules of war as a senior political advisor.
