'And if it were true?': Israeli rabbi defends soldier accused of raping Palestinian prisoner

An Israeli rabbi was filmed blessing a soldier accused of raping Palestinian prisoners from Gaza and defending his actions.

Rabbi Meir Mazuz, who is known to be close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told the soldier he would be found "completely innocent."

"What did you do? Beat the enemy? So what?" the rabbi is seen telling the soldier, who wore a black mask and did not show his face.

"Be a brave soldier and do not fear the goyim [non-Jews]. The Torah says: ‘You shall not fear them.’ Don’t be afraid of the United Nations," the rabbi continues.

The soldier’s attorney made claims to the rabbi that they had proof the Palestinian victim was lying, saying that they brought medical professor Alon Pikarsky, who previously operated on Netanyahu, to examine the victim.

"He [Pikarsky] provided a medical opinion stating the terrorist is a liar," the soldier’s attorney claimed.

Israel’s Channel 14 had previously broadcast that medical opinion by Pikarsky which alleges the Palestinian prisoner raped himself.

Unbothered by this, the rabbi responds: "And if it were true? Don’t we have the right to act this way?" to which the attorney agrees.

A shocking video surfaced last month showing Israeli soldiers raping a Palestinian prisoner at the notorious Sde Teiman detention facility.

The video, which has been verified by news organisations including Al Jazeera, shows a Palestinian prisoner being taken to a wall before he is gang raped by soldiers shielding their face.

Israeli media reported the attack was so violent that the victim was not able to walk after and was transferred to a hospital.

Israeli ministers and politicians rushed to defend the accused soldiers, denouncing those who leaked the footage.

Other Israeli rabbis have made shocking statements about Palestinians before.

Earlier this year, Rabbi Eliyahu Mali called for the extermination of all civilians in Gaza, including women and children.

"If you don’t kill them, they’ll attempt to kill you," he claims.

At the onset of the Gaza war, Israeli military rabbi Captain Amichai Friedman rejoiced and said it was the "happiest month" of his life.

About 41,000 people, most of them women and children, have been killed in Israel’s relentless air and ground offensive in Gaza since October 7 last year.

Israel has vowed to dismantle Hamas entirely in the enclave, ignoring international judicial bodies ordering it to end its military campaign.