Palestinian Man Branded with ‘Star of David’ by Israeli Police during Arrest
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A Palestinian man detained by Israeli forces in occupied Al-Quds was subjected to physical abuse, including a severe beating and the branding of the Star of David symbol on his cheek, according to reports.
The man's lawyer presented these charges in court on Thursday, one day after he was taken from his residence in the Shuafat refugee camp on the outskirts of Al-Quds, as reported by Al Jazeera.
At least 16 officers were involved in the Palestinian man's arrest, but none had their body cameras on, according to the Ynet news website.
The officers allegedly blindfolded the man and then physically assaulted him, using their fists on "all parts of his body," as reported by Ynet. They also reportedly branded the Star of David symbol on his cheek.
Wadim Shub, the Palestinian man's lawyer, stated that this incident was "a grave case of intentional violence and humiliation of a detainee by police" and called for an immediate police investigation, adding that "the nature of the injuries raises a strong suspicion that they were racially motivated."
The presiding judge, Amir Shaked, reportedly expressed "horror" over the incident and directed the case to the police's internal investigations department, as reported by the Times of Israel.
The police department's version of events claimed that the man "resisted arrest, violently attacking and kicking police who responded with 'reasonable force' to subdue him."
As per figures from the rights group Addameer, the Zionist regime of Israel currently detaining over 5,000 Palestinian political prisoners, with at least 1,200 held without charge or trial, in a widely criticized practice known as administrative detention.
Israeli forces frequently conduct pre-dawn raids in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem as part of efforts to suppress an emerging armed resistance, often leading to confrontations with Palestinian residents, including arrests and fatalities.
The occupied Palestinian territories have seen over 200 Palestinian fatalities this year, and the United Nations has issued warnings that 2023 is on track to become the deadliest year for Palestinians since it began recording fatalities.
Palestinians and human rights organizations have long accused Israeli forces of killing Palestinians under questionable circumstances and have criticized Israel's handling of investigations, which often result in no charges, lenient sentences, or a lack of summoning witnesses for questioning.
In a recent case, an Israeli court acquitted a border police officer charged with reckless manslaughter in the fatal shooting of Eyad al-Hallaq, an autistic Palestinian man, ruling that the officer had acted in self-defense during the incident in occupied East Al-Quds' Old City three years ago.
