Israeli Police Detain Alex Sinclair, Cut Palestinian Flag From Kippah in Modi'in

Israeli police detained Alex Sinclair, a British Israeli academic, after he wore a Jewish kippah embroidered with an Israeli and a Palestinian flag in Modiin, central Israel, according to multiple reports.

“- Published A British Israeli academic has told the BBC of his shock at being detained by Israeli police for wearing a Jewish kippah, or head covering, embroidered with an Israeli and a Palestinian flag”

BBC

Sinclair, 53, told the BBC that he was taken from the cafe where he was sitting near his home on Monday, ordered to hand over his kippah, and locked in a cell.

BBC

He said that when the item was returned, “the part with the Palestinian flag had been cut off,” and he called the incident “surreal.”

The BBC reported that police said a complaint had been filed with their internal investigations division and that officers attended to “assess and address” a report on a hotline about a man wearing a kippah with a Palestinian flag.

In the account published by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Sinclair described being told his kippah was illegal, and said that after he was released he was allowed to take it home only after “the Palestinian flag was cut out, leaving him with roughly half a head-covering.”

The Jerusalem Post reported that the Justice Ministry’s Police Investigation Department (PID) is investigating after the Israel Police detained Sinclair in Modi'in on Thursday and officers told him his kippah was against the law.

The Times of Israel similarly described police responding to a report, detaining Sinclair, and then releasing him after a process that left the Palestinian flag removed from the head covering.

Israeli police framed the incident as a response to a report and a subsequent clarification process, while Sinclair and other critics described it as unlawful detention and damage to a religious object.

The BBC said Israeli police told it that officers had attended the scene to “assess and address” a report on a hotline about a man wearing a kippah with a Palestinian flag, and that “During the handling of the incident, the individual was brought to the police station where following clarification, the individual was subsequently released.”

CNN

The BBC also quoted police saying that “As a complaint has been filed with the Police Internal Investigations Division within the Ministry of Justice, no further details can be provided at this stage.”

CNN reported that Israeli police acknowledged the incident but made no mention of the flags or Sinclair’s allegation that an officer ruined the Jewish head covering, adding that he was detained but then released “following a clarification process.”

CNN also said Sinclair told it he had filed a complaint with the Department for Internal Police Investigations, alleging unlawful detention and damage to property.

The Times of Israel reported that police confirmed the incident, saying they responded to a report of a man wearing a Palestinian flag and had detained him, and that “After an investigation, he was released,” while also stating that since a complaint had been filed with DIPI, they could not further comment.

The Jerusalem Post said the Israel Police, in a statement, said Sinclair had not been interrogated or arrested and that they could not elaborate due to a complaint filed with the PID.

The incident was reported against a backdrop of restrictions on Palestinian symbols and a crackdown described by multiple outlets as linked to National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

“Gift this articleShare to FacebookPrint article Article printing is available to subscribers only Print in a simple, ad-free format Subscribe Comments: SaveZen Reading Zen reading is available to subscribers only Ad-free and in a comfortable reading format Subscribe”

Haaretz

The BBC said there is no explicit Israeli law banning public displays of the Palestinian flag, and that Israeli police are authorised to remove or confiscate them if they are deemed “a threat to public order” or identifying with a terrorist organisation.

It also reported that the current far-right National Security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has instructed police to clamp down on Palestinian flags, in a way that Israeli rights groups have said is illegal.

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency described Ben-Gvir telling Israeli police officers to exercise wide latitude in removing Palestinian national flags from public places in order to preserve public order, and quoted him saying, “It cannot be that lawbreakers wave terrorist flags, incite and encourage terrorism, so I ordered the removal of flags supporting terrorism from the public space and to stop the incitement against Israel.”

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency added that following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel later that year, the crackdown intensified even more, and that police have been accused of using inappropriate force against people protesting against the right-wing government.

Middle East Eye reported that since the current government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took office in 2022, the display of the Palestinian flag in public and private spaces has faced increasing restrictions, and said the campaign has been led by Ben Gvir.

It also stated that Ben Gvir in January 2023 ordered police to remove Palestinian flags from public spaces, and said that Sinclair described Ben Gvir’s “unlawful” crackdown as escalating to the point where the Palestinian flag was being “banned from my head - my kippah, my religious identity itself.”

Reactions to Sinclair’s detention and the cutting of the Palestinian flag came from politicians, rights groups, and activists, with multiple outlets quoting their language about police conduct and civil liberties.

The BBC reported that the leader of Israel's Democrats Party, Yair Golan, criticised the police over what had happened, while the Jewish Telegraphic Agency said Sinclair received calls from left-wing politicians including Yair Golan and offers of legal aid.

Jewish Telegraphic Agency

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency quoted Gilad Kariv, a Reform rabbi and member of the opposition in Israel’s parliament, saying there was “systemic madness” within the Israel Police and that he believed a criminal investigation and civil lawsuit would be appropriate, adding, “If police officers had cut off a Jew’s kippah in any other country in the world, there would be an uproar here in Israel.”

Middle East Eye reported that Kariv said the incident “points to a profound institutional failure within the Israeli police,” and quoted him saying some police officers “completely lost their professional ethos, their commitment to serving the public, and their loyalty to the law.”

Middle East Eye also quoted the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) saying, “Once again, the Israel Police is acting in line with the minister's agenda and contrary to the law,” and describing the situation as “sheer madness and absurdity, and a serious violation of autonomy, freedom of expression, liberty, freedom of religion, and dignity.”

The Jerusalem Post quoted Democrats MK Rabbi Gilad Kariv saying, “This is a systemic breakdown taking place in the Israel Police,” and said he argued that “The conduct of the police justifies opening a criminal investigation and a civil lawsuit, and we intend to follow the matter closely.”

The Jerusalem Post also included a statement from activist group Tag Meir saying, “A country in which people are arrested for expressing an opinion, and where Jews' kippahs are vandalized and desecrated for any reason, is run by a government and police force which has lost its direction.”

The sources describe an ongoing process involving internal investigations and potential legal steps, while also situating the case within a wider environment of restrictions on Palestinian symbols.

“Israeli police cut Palestinian flag from lecturer's kippah after detaining him Israeli police detained a man wearing a kippah featuring both Palestinian and Israeli flags, then released him after cutting out the Palestinian flag, local media reported on Thursday”

Middle East Eye

The BBC said a complaint had been filed with the Police Internal Investigations Division within the Ministry of Justice and that “no further details can be provided at this stage.”

Middle East Eye

The Jerusalem Post reported that the Justice Ministry’s Police Investigation Department (PID) is investigating, and it quoted the Israel Police statement that it could not elaborate on the story’s details due to a complaint filed with the PID.

CNN reported that Sinclair told it he had filed a complaint with the Department for Internal Police Investigations, alleging unlawful detention and damage to property.

The Times of Israel reported that Sinclair filed a complaint with the Department of Internal Police Investigations (DIPI) and said he requested police compensate him and provide “a written commitment that I can walk around Modiin with it free from harassment.”

The Times of Israel also said police could not further comment because a complaint had been filed with DIPI.

In the political reaction described by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Gilad Kariv said he believed a criminal investigation and civil lawsuit would be appropriate, and the Jerusalem Post echoed that Kariv said the conduct of police justified “opening a criminal investigation and a civil lawsuit.”