"A violent and baseless raid": Demand for an investigation against police officers who raided a wedding in Umm al-Fahm

The Mossawa Center for the rights of Arab citizens in Israel appealed today, Tuesday, to the Israel Police Commissioner, Inspector General Dani Levy, and to the Department of Internal Police Investigations (DIPI), demanding an immediate investigation following the conduct of the police officers who raided a private wedding at the home of the Mustafa al-Afan family in Umm al-Fahm on Friday night.

The appeal was also sent to the Coastal District Commander, Major General Yehiel Bohdana, the Menashe Sub-district Commander, Brigadier General Roni Fares, and the Umm al-Fahm station commander, Chief Superintendent Yossi Ben David. The center claims that the documentation and testimonies from the event raise suspicions of exceeding authority, using disproportionate force, and violating the fundamental rights of the celebrants.

Advocate Kamal Khoury from the Mossawa Center describes in the letter the trauma to the family and guests: large police forces entered the private wedding complex, threw stun grenades, ordered the participants to lie on the ground, and conducted body searches. It is further claimed that during the operation, chairs were broken and damage was caused to the stage and cameras, and that the officers spoke to those present "in an offensive and humiliating manner."

At the Mossawa Center, they noted that in the documentation of the event, an officer is even seen apparently using a Taser against a young man who was already being held by police officers. According to them, the use of this means, alongside the throwing of stun grenades in the presence of children, women, and the elderly, requires a separate and in-depth examination.

In the police, they said that the raid was conducted following a suspicion of the use of weaponry during the wedding. However, at the end of the searches, no weapons were found, no weaponry was seized, and none of those present were arrested. The center claims that the very existence of a "suspicion," without further detail, does not provide an answer to the question of the legality of entering the complex and using force against all participants.

"There is no dispute about the duty and authority of the police to act against shooting and illegal use of weapons during weddings," the appeal states, "however, Arab society is the main victim of the phenomenon of weapons and crime, and expects the police to act effectively and in a targeted manner." According to the center, the operation in Umm al-Fahm had characteristics of a "humiliating collective search and indiscriminate use of force."

The Mossawa Center demands an immediate order to preserve all evidence from the event, including footage from the body cameras of the police officers, recordings from the 100 emergency center, intelligence reports, operational and station logs, the operational order, the list of forces and units that participated, action reports, and authorizations for the use of stun grenades and the Taser.

The center also demands to clarify who ordered the raid, what was the factual and legal basis for it, whether a search warrant was issued, how many people were detained or interrogated, and why the guests were forced to lie on the ground. At the same time, the center called on the Umm al-Fahm municipality to establish a legal and professional team that will collect the testimonies of the victims and accompany the family in front of the police and DIPI.

"We demand that the Department of Internal Police Investigations immediately begin an investigation into the conduct of the police officers and take the necessary steps against every officer and commander who committed offenses and abused their authority," it was written. The center demands to receive a detailed response within seven days, and warns that in the absence of a satisfactory answer, it will consider turning to legal channels to compel DIPI to open an investigation.

Israel Police is not sorry, not apologizing, and not hesitant in its position. The Israel Police stated in response to the criticism after a video of the event was distributed on social networks that the activity documented in the video was carried out following a suspicion of the use of weaponry during a wedding and that accordingly, the police forces acted on the spot to check the suspicions and locate the weaponry. "The Israel Police will continue to act decisively and without compromise against the phenomenon of shooting at weddings," the police promised.

The police response to the Mossawa organization's demand has not yet been received.

A similar case happened this past weekend, in which a bride and groom, residents of the South, who were on their way to get married, were detained for questioning in an unusual incident after the police claimed their wedding convoy disrupted traffic. The couple claims that due to the delay, they arrived late to the wedding and that some of the guests had already left the place. The groom and his father pointed an accusing finger at the Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, and claimed that he "used them for a PR stunt." Ben Gvir, for his part, responded: "We are putting an end to the wild wedding convoys in the Negev and the shooting weddings that endanger human lives. They will continue to chatter, and I will continue to work."

The groom's father told Walla: "If they disrupted traffic, then why not give a ticket and release them? Minister Ben Gvir wanted to show that he is in control, so why at my son's expense? Why did they have to film the bride?"