Jew violently detained at Hizma checkpoint

Thursday, June 21, 11:51 A Jewish resident of Ma’ale Levona was detained this morning at the Hizma checkpoint at the north-eastern entrance to Jerusalem, Honenu reports. The detainee was sprayed with pepper gas and required medical treatment.
This morning A., a resident of the community of Ma’ale Levona, arrived with two friends from the community at the Hizma checkpoint on his way to work in Jerusalem. At the checkpoint A. was asked to open the trunk of his car. After he replied to the border policeman that there was no reason to check the trunks of Jewish drivers, an Arab border policeman arrived on the scene and asked him to park on the side of the road, informing him that he was being temporarily detained.
Despite the fact that A. said that there was no need to do so because he had opened his trunk, the policeman insisted that he park on the side of the road and did not allow him to get out of his car in order to show him the contents of the trunk. Then, the policeman changed his mind and asked A. to get out of his car. A. refused and said that it was enough that he was detained in the car and there was no need for him to be outside next to the policeman. At this stage the policeman informed him that he was officially detained because he refused the initial temporary detention, according to the policeman. In response to a claim by D., one of A.’s friends, that it was a false detention the policeman threatened that it was within his authority to break the car window in order to remove him.
D. described the turn of events at this stage.
“I got out of the car with another friend who was with us and then the policemen asked us for our ID cards, which we gave them. After that, I told A. that he should ask the border policemen to identify themselves, because some of their tags were covered. The policeman who saw that told me that I wasn’t allowed to speak to the detainee and that also I was restrained and ordered me to sit on the side.
“After I spoke to an attorney I was asked to sign a document, I refused and then I was released. When I returned to the car I saw my friend, whose face was badly wounded. When A. saw me he asked me to call for an ambulance. I asked him if they had hit him and he replied that they sprayed him with gas. The Arab policeman proudly told me that he had used pepper gas. When I called Magen David Adom (ambulance service) they said that they would speak to the police in order to coordinate the arrival of the ambulance.”
A. himself said that he had been sprayed with pepper gas and that the police forcibly broke into his car in order to remove him. Currently A. is detained and a Honenu attorney is handling the case.