JERUSALEM (AP) — Nine Israeli soldiers were due to appear before a military court for an initial hearing Tuesday over what a defense lawyer said were allegations of sexual abuse of a Palestinian at a shadowy facility where Israel has held prisoners from Gaza during the war.
The investigation has stoked tensions between the military command and hard-line nationalists in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government who advocate an even harsher hand in Israel’s conduct of the 10-month-old war in Gaza.
The soldiers’ detention Monday triggered angry protests by supporters demanding their release, including members of parliament and at least two government ministers. On Monday, several hundred protesters broke into the facility in southern Israel, known as Sde Teiman, and then later into the military base where the soldiers were being held. Video showed them scuffling with troops before being forced out.
Defense lawyer Nati Rom, who…