Overview
- Alex Sinclair, a Jewish academic, was detained in Modi'in on Monday after a caller reported his kippah showing Israeli and Palestinian flags, and police released him following what they called a clarification process.
- Sinclair alleges an officer returned the kippah with the Palestinian flag cut out, a claim police did not confirm in statements acknowledging the brief detention.
- He says officers frisked him, took his belongings, and held him alone in a cell for about 20 minutes without access to water or a phone before releasing him.
- Sinclair has filed a complaint with the Department for Internal Police Investigations seeking a probe and compensation, and police said they would not provide further details due to the complaint.
- Israeli law does not categorically ban Palestinian flags, though police can remove symbols they deem a terror endorsement or public-order risk, and a 2023 directive to clear such flags drew legal criticism, making action against a Jewish citizen for this imagery unusual.