Published: 22 August 2023
Last updated: 5 March 2024
Police deny branding, claiming the mark was caused by a shoe, but a judge has released the suspect to house arrest following an outcry.
Sixteen police officers have been accused of extreme violence while arresting a suspect in a drug case in East Jerusalem. The offices are alleged to have branded a Star of David on the cheek of the suspect. Police deny they branded the suspect but said they had to use “reasonable force” to subdue him. They claim the mark on his cheek was caused by a shoe.
Arwah Sheikh Ali from the Shuafat area in East Jerusalem was arrested on several drug trafficking charges. His lawyer alleged police brutality following his arrest.
There is no body camera footage of his arrest, even though 16 police and Border Police officers took part in the operation.
District Court judge Amir Shaked noted that this detail makes little sense, as "the police had prepared well in advance before searching the suspect's house." He referred the case to the Police Internal Investigations Department and said that police have “no reasonable explanation” for how the bruises appeared.
A Jerusalem Magistrate Court’s judge ordered the man to be released to house arrest on Sunday following the outcry over the handling of the arrest. Judge Adi Bar Tal ordered the measure, which is unusual for a suspected drug dealer who police say had resisted arrest, because of “severe violence” during the arrest. Bar Tal noted that Sheikh Ali had not been allowed to be examined by a physician despite a Saturday ruling mandating this.
The police explanation did not satisfy thousands of Israelis, including prominent protest activists, who commented on it on social networks. Some participants in weekly protests against the government on Saturday were documented wearing a Star of David made of lipstick on their cheeks.
Josh Breiner, a reporter for Haaretz, wrote that the triangle on the face of the suspect seems to match the pattern of the shoelaces in the photos provided by police, but not a middle-section line in the scar on his face.
“One thing is clear: A serious, violent incident like this needs to be investigated swiftly,” he wrote.
READ MORE
Israeli officers brand Palestinian drug suspect with Star of David under eye (Jerusalem Post)
Police deny imprinting Star of David on Palestinian Detainee's face, say wound caused by shoe (Haaretz)
Court releases Palestinian suspect that cops allegedly branded with Star of David (Times of Israel)
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