Nine months after the case of a Star of David etched on the face of an East Jerusalem detainee was revealed on Ynet, the Department of Internal Police Investigations decided to file an indictment, subject to a hearing, against 7 police officers who were involved in the unusual incident, which also received international coverage.
The affair began in the second half of 2023, when a police force of more than 16 officers raided the home of an East Jerusalem resident who was suspected of drug trafficking. The suspect was brought to a hearing to extend his detention with an injury to his face, and he claimed that during his arrest policemen beat him while he was handcuffed and a Star of David was etched on his face. When the details were published, the police denied the allegations and claimed that the mark was made from "shoe laces."
Ynet previously revealed that 16 police officers were present at the arrest - but none of them had their body cameras working due to what the police called a "malfunction." The suspect was released from custody a few days later.
As part of the police investigation, many policemen were interrogated and testified, and the complainant was sent for an unusual examination at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, in order to compile evidence that would substantiate the claim of having the Star of David etched on his cheek.
Attorney Vadim Shub, head of Jerusalem Public Defender Office, said that "on the face of it, this is a serious incident of violence against a detainee. We followed the procedure of submitting the complaint and turned to the police with an unequivocal demand to carry out an in-depth investigation of the affair. We welcome the decision of the police, and see the importance of eradicating the phenomenon of police violence."