A Palestinian allegedly branded by Israel Police officers on August 18, 2023.
The resident of the Shuafat refugee camp is suspected of having committed drug trafficking offenses.
Update: On Saturday, Israel police said the officers used "reasonable force" to subdue the suspect and that the "bruise that is similar to a triangle" on his face was likely caused by "an article of clothing of one of the officers." The statement was accompanied by a photo of an officer's boot, implying the marks were the result of the footwear being pressed against the suspect's face.
Comment: It's pretty clear from the photo below that the above marks were not caused by the boot.
The suspect was brought to the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court for a remand hearing on Thursday during which his attorney presented the allegations of police brutality.
Sixteen officers took part in the arrest, but none of them had their body cameras on in an apparent effort to avoid showing what transpired afterward, according to the Ynet news site.
© Israel PoliceA photo released by police on August 19, 2023, shows the boot of a police officer that allegedly caused cut marks on Palestinian detainee’s face. A lawyer for the suspect alleges police branded him with a Star of David.
Judge Amir Shaked reportedly expressed his horror over the police's conduct and directed the case to be brought before the Police Internal Investigations Department over allegations of excessive force.
He ordered that the suspect's remand be extended until Sunday.
The suspect's attorney, Wadim Shub, from the Public Defender's office, said in a statement that the incident was "a grave case of intentional violence and humiliation of a detainee by police."
He demanded an immediate police investigation, saying, "As a law-abiding country, we must not put up with the phenomenon of police brutality. In this case, the nature of the injuries raises a strong suspicion that they were racially motivated."
Israel Police issued a statement, claiming the suspect resisted arrest, violently attacking and kicking police who responded with "reasonable force" to subdue him.
"If allegations regarding this or that conduct arise, they should be investigated by the relevant authorities," the statement added.
Reader Comments
Anyway, I remember a lot of family discussions about his requirement to join the military when he returned to Israel. My father was in the Navy and of course Yaron's father had been required to serve (I assume in the air force because he was a commercial pilot). But my brothers and I and my mom and his mother weren't keen on him joining. He was a gentle soul and truly was part of our family and my parents and his parents communicated for a long time afterward. He didn't want to join the military, he just wanted to wind surf. So he did his time in the service, and I don't know if he managed to get into civil service or had to do the dirty work, but I do know that he followed his dream and opened a wind-surfing shop and now has a boy and a girl who are wind-surfing champions in their age groups. I can only hope and pray that he finds the courage to leave Israel before the state claims his kids and gets them killed.
I honesty have no idea what caste he belonged to, but he looked Arab and not European. And he was very popular with the girls at our school.
Nothing new here this is what Nazi Zionist Jews do, it's an every day and night thing. I guess the guy was lucky, usually they just shoot the victim in the head as he lays on the ground handcuffed, kills them deader than hell.