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| Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi |
Tomer-Yerushalmi grew up in Netanya.[1] She studied law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, as part of the Military Academic Reserve, and graduated with honors. In 1996, after completing her studies, she enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces and joined the Military Advocate General. In 1997, she was certified as a lawyer after interning at the Chief Military Prosecutor's office. In 1999, she graduated with a master's degree in law with honors from Tel Aviv University. Simultaneously, she served as a teaching assistant in a criminal law course. In 2003, she was sent by the IDF to pursue a master's degree at The Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, which she completed with distinction.[1]
Tomer-Yerushalmi is a graduate of the IDF Command and Staff College "Afak".[2]
As assistant to the chief military prosecutor, she was involved in formulating legal opinions regarding the "1997 Israeli helicopter disaster" and the "Ansariya ambush".
In this role she handled major legal issues, including – the legal implications of the Second Intifada; handling conscientious objectors and more.[1]
As head of legal supervision in the Military Advocate General's Corps, she sought the demotion of Colonel Elhanan Tannenbaum due to his involvement in serious crimes of drug trafficking and forgery, during which time he was kidnapped by Hezbollah. Tomer-Yerushalmi represented the army's position before a special committee, headed by Brigadier General (res.) Amnon Strashnov, which ordered his demotion to the rank of private.
In 2007 she was appointed as a judge of the military court in the jurisdictions of the General Staff, Central, Home front, and Air Force.
In 2010 she was promoted to deputy president of the military court for the General Staff and Home Front. During her tenure as a judge, she handled complex and sensitive cases in various fields, including severe sex offenses; drug trafficking and use; unauthorized military weapon possession; negligent manslaughter, and more.
In 2015 she returned to the Military Advocate General's Corps, appointed as head of the Advisory and Legislation Department and promoted to the rank of brigadier general. In this role, she headed a department providing legal counsel to all IDF branches in constitutional, administrative, and civil law. She also coordinated legislative processes related to the IDF and represented the military's positions in various issues in government offices and Knesset committees.
In July 2019 the chief of general staff, Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi, decided to appoint her as the advisor to the chief of general staff for gender affairs, and she began her role in September 2019.[3] As the Advisor for Gender Affairs, Tomer-Yerushalmi focuses on promoting gender equality, ensuring a safe and respectful service environment, and preventing sexual harassment in the IDF. During her tenure, she initiated the establishment of the "Metsapim" center, which opened in October 2020, dealing with the integration of parenthood and service, providing support and guidance for regular service members during pregnancy and early parenthood stages, as well as during fertility treatments.[4]
On 1 September 2021 she entered the role of chief military advocate, was promoted to the rank of major general, becoming the second female major general in the history of the IDF, after Orna Barbivai, and the first woman to head the Military Advocate General's Corps.[5]
Resignation
On 31 October 2025, Tomer-Yerushalmi resigned from her post after admitting she was responsible for leaking a classified surveillance video to the media.[6][7] The video, which was broadcast by Israel's Channel 12 in August 2024, purported to show the alleged assault of a Palestinian detainee by Israeli soldiers at the Sde Teiman detention camp.[8] The leak and the video generated significant political backlash.[9][10][11][12][13]
The leaked footage showed soldiers at the Sde Teiman facility taking a detainee aside and surrounding him with riot shields to block visibility.[14] Reports indicated that the detainee was subsequently stabbed in the rectum with a sharp object, an act characterized by some sources as sexual assault or sodomy.[15] The abuse was so severe that the detainee suffered serious injuries and required hospitalization.[6] Following an investigation into the incident, five Israeli reserve soldiers were charged with aggravated abuse and causing serious bodily harm; they denied the charges.[16]
In her resignation letter, Tomer-Yerushalmi stated that she had approved the release of the material "in an attempt to counter false propaganda against the army's law enforcement authorities".[14] She was referring to claims by right-wing political figures that reports of detainee abuse were fabricated.[8] She emphasized the military's legal and ethical duty to investigate unlawful acts, even in war, and expressed regret that the principle that "there are actions which must never be taken even against the vilest of detainees" was no longer universally accepted.[6] Her resignation came after a criminal probe was launched into the leak, and she was placed on leave.[8]
Defense Minister Israel Katz welcomed Tomer-Yerushalmi's resignation, stating that anyone who spreads "blood libels against IDF troops is unfit to wear the army's uniform".[17]
On 2 November, the IDF stated that Tomer-Yerushalmi had gone missing. Search efforts focused on Hatzuk Beach in Tel Aviv. At the time, she was scheduled to be questioned as part of the criminal investigation into the leak.[18] She was found alive at a beach in Herzliya after several hours, with police, military, and rescue forces participating in her search.[19] She was arrested by police later that night, along with former IDF prosecutor Matan Solomesh.[20]
- Y. Tomer-Yerushalmi, R. Polyak, Military Investigation Immunity, in Menachem Finkelstein's Book – Law, Security and Book, p. 169 (Nevo Publishing), 2020
- Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, Vision for Equality in the IDF, Israel Hayom, 8 March 2020
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