Police under investigation after detaining man, cutting Palestinian flag off his kippa

The Jerusalem Post reports on a deeply troubling incident that raises serious questions about police conduct and the erosion of civil liberties in Israel. The detention of Dr. Alex Sinclair, a resident of Modi'in, for wearing a kippah adorned with both the Israeli and Palestinian flags, and the subsequent confiscation and defacement of his religious item, is an affront to fundamental rights and the principles of a democratic society.

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For the past twenty years, almost, I’ve worn a kippah that has both the Israeli flag and the Palestinian flag on it. The reasons behind the kippah are long and complex and related to the messy ambivalence of my Jewish-Zionist identity... Anyway, I smiled at the man who was shouting at me, and I said, if you want to sit down with me and discuss politics, I’d be happy to, but it’s not against the law.

Our reporting details how police officers, upon encountering Dr. Sinclair, immediately deemed his kippah "against the law" without any legal basis. This arbitrary decision led to his detention, confiscation of personal property, and confinement in a cell. The fact that the police eventually returned the kippah only after cutting off the Palestinian flag is a symbolic act of erasure and a clear indication of a biased and heavy-handed approach.

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Apparently, I was not actually arrested. There’s a difference between being detained and being arrested, but that distinction doesn’t mean a hell of a lot when you’re sitting in a cell on your own without being allowed to speak to your wife or a lawyer.

The condemnation by Democrats MK Rabbi Gilad Kariv, who labeled the incident a "systemic breakdown" within the Israel Police, resonates strongly with our editorial stance. His assertion that officers have lost their "professional ethos" and "loyalty to the law" is a grave accusation that demands immediate attention and investigation. The comparison to how such an act against a Jewish religious item would be perceived globally underscores the discriminatory nature of this police action.

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She’d taken my possession, a religious ritual object, something that is very dear to my heart, and destroyed it.

This event is particularly disturbing as it occurs within Israel, a country that prides itself on its democratic values. The targeting of an individual for expressing a complex identity through a religious symbol, especially one that reflects a desire for coexistence, is counterproductive and alienating. The Jerusalem Post believes that law enforcement must uphold the law impartially and protect the rights of all citizens, rather than succumbing to political pressures or biases that lead to such egregious violations.

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If police in any other country in the world were to cut a Jew's kippah, there would be a holy uproar here. This is a systemic breakdown taking place in the Israel Police. Officers and commanders have completely lost their professional ethos, their service to the citizens, and their loyalty to the law. The conduct of the police justifies opening a criminal investigation and a civil lawsuit, and we intend to follow the matter closely.