A JUDGE from a Jerusalem district court has asked the Justice Ministry to investigate the case following reports that a Palestinian man was seriously injured — and possibly ‘branded’ — by Israeli police during detention.

Ynet News reported last week that a 22-year-old Palestinian man living in the Shoafat refugee camp was apprehended by authorities in an operation on the outskirts of Jerusalem on suspicion of drug possession.

Despite the operation involving 16 police and Border Police officers, there was no recorded footage of the arrest, a fact that puzzled District Judge Amir Shaked.

When he appeared in court, the man’s face bore severe injuries. Outrage erupted on social media after photos emerged of the injured man that seemed to show what appeared to be the Star of David — a symbol of Judaism — had been imprinted on his face, allegedly by the arresting officers.

Under Nazi rule in Germany, Jews were made to wear the Star of David as a mark of identification.

The attorney for the man, Akram Abu-Libdeh, also mentioned that the symbol was allegedly imprinted by police on the man’s face. Police, however, stressed that these marks likely resulted from the shoes worn by one of the officers involved in the arrest.

The man himself claimed that the police harmed him during the arrest, even when he was handcuffed and blindfolded, despite not being suspected of a security-related offense.

On Saturday, police issued a response, reported by Haaretz, claiming that during the operation to arrest him, the suspect “progressively lost control, engaging in a violent attack on officers and resisting arrest. Owing to his actions, law enforcement found it necessary to use reasonable force until the arrest process was finalised.”

‘As part of the investigation, the suspect’s detention has been extended by the court until August 20. If there are complaints about particular behaviour, they should be examined by the relevant authorities,’ the statement concluded.

However, Judge Shaked directed the matter be forwarded to Mahash, the unit responsible for probing police misconduct.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2023