Israeli military officials have arrested an officer with the rank of major on suspicion of raping and sexually harassing a female soldier at a base in the occupied territories.

The English language online newspaper, The Times of Israel, citing the Israeli military, reported on Saturday that the unnamed man was detained on Thursday, and is suspected of rape, sexual abuse, and sexual harassment, as well as driving under the influence. The rape is said to have taken place about 10 months ago.

The latest data have revealed that the number of sexual harassment cases within the Israeli army has increased by ten percent this year.

The report came a week after two Israeli navy officers resigned from their posts after Channel 12 television network broadcast a report, exposing sexual harassment and improper sexual relationships with subordinates by senior officer Brigadier General Shai Elbaz, when he served as head of the navy’s elite Shayetet 13 commando unit.

Ebaz and a second officer tied to the case resigned from the military over the exposé.

Two Israeli soldiers are accused of sexually harassing Palestinian women and stealing money and property from Palestinians passing through a checkpoint in the West Bank.

The Palestinian Shehab news agency, citing news broadcast by Israel’s Army Radio, reported in late June that the number of rape and sexual harassment cases among Israeli soldiers has increased by 20 percent over the past two years.

The Israeli military police had opened 158 investigation cases related to physical and verbal sexual harassment last year, the report added.

In July 2018, Israeli newspaper the Jerusalem Post reported a 43 percent increase in complaints related to sexual harassment in the Israeli army during the past five years.

The Jerusalem Post reported the results of the survey collated through anonymous questionnaires sent to thousands of female soldiers and officers.

The Israeli daily noted, “there were 13 cases of abuse of authority, 165 cases of obscene acts, 263 cases of physical harassment, another 349 cases of verbal harassment and another 63 cases of unwanted peeking or photography.”

Back in late April 2015, four Israeli soldiers were arrested on suspicion of gang-raping a female soldier serving with them at the Hatzerim Air Force Base in the southern part of the occupied territories. (Independent)