Podcast Summary: The Listening Post — "Torture, Leak, Outrage: Israel's Sde Teiman Affair"

Al Jazeera | November 8, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of The Listening Post dives into the fallout from the leaked video of torture and sexual assault at Israel's Sde Teiman military prison, exploring the domestic and international media handling, the Israeli government's public relations (PR) playbook concerning war crimes, and societal reactions inside Israel. The episode then pivots to examine the crisis for journalism in Sudan’s Darfur after RSF militia advances, and finally explores the tradition of political nicknaming as satire in Kenya, used by citizens to critique—and sometimes undermine—the nation’s leadership.

Segment 1: Israel’s Sde Teiman Affair – Leak, Outrage, and PR Spin

Key Discussion Points

• The Leaked Video and Its Fallout

  • A leaked video showing Israeli soldiers torturing and sexually assaulting a Palestinian prisoner at Sde Teiman prison is described as "sickening to watch," though the act itself is hard to see due to soldiers' shields ([03:32]).
  • The public debate in Israel is not centered on the abuse, but rather the exposure of the footage and the person who leaked it, Yifat Tomer Yaroshelmi — the Israeli military’s chief prosecutor ([00:32], [04:22]).
  • The accused soldiers have been portrayed as victims, while Yaroshelmi has been branded a traitor, arrested, and faces charges including breach of trust and disclosure of official information ([04:22], [05:59]).

• Israeli Society and Morality Crisis

  • Israeli official and public outrage appears directed more at the damage to Israel’s image than the actual crime.
  • “Israel always tries to position itself as civilized vis a vis the uncivilized…rape is the ultimate act of barbarity”—Expert/Analyst ([03:50]).
  • The fundamental issue is “Israel’s PR playbook when it comes to war crimes and cover ups, when potential moments of reckoning turn into battles over optics” ([00:32]).

• The Role and Motives of the Whistleblower

  • Yifat Tomer Yaroshelmi had previously obstructed war crime prosecutions, actively contributing to cover-ups in Gaza ([05:59]).
  • Analyst speculates she leaked the video out of outrage and to protect herself in light of looming international investigations ([05:59]-[06:27]).
  • Her subsequent vilification reveals a society “much more outraged that this footage was leaked rather than what was happening in that footage”—Expert/Analyst ([11:07]).
  • “It is a witch hunt. They are after her. There are people who talk about lynching. One wonders, you know, if her life is still under threat even now.” — Expert/Analyst ([06:46]).

• Media Reaction & Double Standards

  • Israeli journalist Guy Peleg, who reported on the leak, faced significant backlash, requiring security protection ([07:25]).
  • Analysis of international media’s “kid gloves” approach to reporting on Israel, contrasting the treatment of Israeli and Palestinian captives ([09:39]).
  • “If you had access to all the footage of the last few years and indeed prior to 7th October 2023, what would we discover? Because the allegations of torture, abuse, sexual abuse have been going around for years.” — Expert/Analyst ([09:04])

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Outrage Over Leaking, Not the Abuse
  “There is still in Israeli society this idea that the Israeli army is bey(ond) barbarism, that they maintain this moral standard.” — Expert/Analyst ([03:50])

• On Yaroshelmi’s Motivation
  “Why did she decide to leak this video? I think because she was outraged at the moral indignity as much as because this was turning into a political scandal that would end up at her doorstep.” — Expert/Analyst ([05:59])

• On Journalism and Risk
  “Channel 12 now says that because of the blowback, it has had to hire security protection for its reporter.” — Main Reporter/Analyst ([07:25])

• On Societal Priorities
  “The fact that the Israeli public is much more outraged that this footage was leaked rather than what was happening in that footage…tells us everything we need to know about Israeli society.” — Expert/Analyst ([11:07])

• On Concealing Identity “They know that the world accuses them rightfully of war crimes, and they conceal their identity to show the world two things. First, you won’t outsmart us. And second, we don’t care.” — Expert/Analyst ([10:43])

Memorable Moment

• The Israeli Defense Minister’s “blood libel” accusation against the leaker and media, despite all actors being Israeli, was sharply critiqued as the ultimate deflection—a sign of societal unwillingness to face facts ([07:25]).

Timestamps Reference

• [00:32] – Story setup and warning of graphic content
• [03:32] to [11:45] – Detailed analysis and reactions

Segment 2: Sudan’s Al Fasher Falls — Journalism Under Siege

Key Discussion Points

• Battle for Al Fasher and Humanitarian Catastrophe

  • After an 18-month siege, RSF militia captured Al Fasher, leading to “mass atrocities under a near total media blackout” ([12:04]).
  • RSF fighters are documented executing civilians, with at least 1,500 killed in three days ([12:28]).

• Collapse of Journalism in Conflict

  • Journalists have been specifically targeted: captured, disappeared, killed, or forced to flee. Mohammad Ibrahim of Al Jazeera Mubashir is highlighted as missing since his capture ([12:28]).
  • News coverage now relies heavily on satellite imagery to reveal burned neighborhoods and mass graves; Yale’s Humanitarian Research Lab is helping document violence ([12:28]).

• Impending Partition and Information Crisis

  • As RSF controls all major cities in Darfur and journalists disappear, prospects for Sudan’s partition increase. The program questions who will document these atrocities in the looming information vacuum ([12:28]-[14:03]).

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “With the number of journalists dwindling by the day, the question becomes who will be left to report what happens next?” — Field Reporter, Ryan Coles ([12:28])

Timestamps Reference

• [12:04] to [14:03] – Sudan/Darfur segment

Segment 3: Satirical Nicknames as Political Critique in Kenya

Key Discussion Points

• Origins and Power of Political Nicknames

  • Kenyan presidents, especially William Ruto, accrue nicknames encapsulating public critique and political satire ([15:12]).
  • Nicknames like “Zakayo” (biblical tax collector), “El Chapo” (after bread promises), and “Kusongo” (from a song about abandonment), reflect public disillusionment ([15:48],[16:00],[16:22]).

• Digital Age and Youthful Dissent

  • Young Kenyans online coin and spread these nicknames, which circulate more freely than direct protest or critique due to censorship or fear of reprisal ([16:54],[17:19]).
  • Nicknaming is seen as a creative, protected mode of dissent and a barometer for public sentiment ([17:19],[17:45]).

• Nicknames as Subversive Satire Across Africa

  • Tradition extends to other African countries: Nigerian President Tinubu (“T Pain”) for austerity, Uganda’s Finance Minister (“Minister of Enjoyment”), and Tanzania’s President (“IDI Amin Mama”) ([19:13]).

• Authoritarianism, Protest, and the Limits of Power

  • The government has responded to online protest with crackdowns, but still cannot control satirical nicknames ([20:19]).
  • Ruto attempts to co-opt some nicknames, but analysts argue such mimicry cannot subvert the organic power of grassroots satire ([21:06],[22:11],[23:23],[23:46]).

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “Calling the political figure a nickname is a way of looking directly at the sun…of bringing that powerful executive figure back down to earth.” — Narrator/Host ([19:39])

• “The current generation…drawing a lot of empowerment and solidarity and creativity from laughter will eventually graduate to political creativity that will result in…fundamental change.” — Co-host/Reporter ([23:46])

• “Good satire rarely flows down from power. It rises up from the people, from those who turn frustration into laughter and laughter into defiance.” — Political Analyst/Narrator ([22:11])

Memorable Moment

• Ruto’s attempt to flip “one tum” (one term) into “one more tum” is treated as a symbolic move, ultimately viewed as ineffectual against grassroots satire ([22:11]).

Timestamps Reference

• [14:03] to [24:31] – Kenya and African nickname segment

Segment 4: New York’s Mayor Mamdani — Tabloid Ridicule Backfires

Key Discussion Points

• Media Attacks and Unintended Consequences
  • Zoran Mamdani’s election as New York mayor inspired a New York Post cover depicting him as a communist. Rather than hurting him, the issue sold out and became a collector’s item, ironically helping the tabloid profit ([24:31]).

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “The message that the buyers are sending Rupert Murdoch [is] that despite Mamdani’s election victory, capitalism is alive and well in New York. Who’d have thunk.” — Main Reporter/Analyst ([24:31])

Timestamps Reference

• [24:31] – Brief segment close

Takeaways

• Power, Image, and Media
  In Israel, government and societal priorities focus on image and PR, often above actual abuses, with whistleblowers demonized and journalists at risk.
• The War on Journalism
  Sudan's Darfur crisis highlights the dangers for frontline reporters and the growing reliance on technology to document war crimes under blackout conditions.
• Satire as Resistance
  In Kenya and across Africa, ridicule and nicknames constitute potent, protected forms of protest, largely immune to government control, signaling the enduring power of popular satire.
• Media Irony
  Sometimes, attempts at media ridicule backfire, as with Mamdani’s election, showing how narrative control can slip from those in power.

This comprehensive summary encapsulates the podcast’s core stories and insights, offers key timestamps, and preserves the original tone and language for listeners seeking an in-depth briefing.