The police officer accused of breaking the knee of Arab-Israeli activist Jafar Farah after arresting him during a protest in Haifa has been forced to take leave, the Israel Police said on Monday. This follows a previous statement made last week that the police had temporarily suspended the officer, but that message had stressed that it was standard procedure and just for a few days while the Police Investigation Unit looked into the incident. The latest statement said that the officer was now on compulsory leave while the investigation is expected to continue. Moreover, while last week's statement also highlighted that no disciplinary action had been taken against the policeman, this one said: “Upon receipt of the findings of the investigation, the Police Investigations Department will consider taking administrative and / or disciplinary measures accordingly.” Farah has demanded an apology from the police and also referred to additional alleged police brutality at the same protest. “Three police officers attacked detainees in front of other commanders and policemen, two of whom threatened the medical staff at Bnei Zion Hospital,” he said in a statement posted on the Mossawa Center's Facebook page. He said he expected the heads of the police force and the political echelon “to take responsibility for the culture of lies and violence practiced by the police.” Accusing Police Commissioner Roni Alsheich of trying to hide the truth in interviews, he added: “I expect him and the district commander, the commander of the Haifa station and the commander of the Yasam to apologize to all the detainees who were arrested and beaten and humiliated with no legal basis.” Meanwhile, the police said that it was continuing to investigate the “violent behavior” of demonstrators “in order to get to the truth.” The police arrested 21 suspects during the protest for alleged public order violations and other offenses. Most of the suspects were released last week and two, who were minors, were released soon after their arrest. In a separate incident that occurred in Rahat on Friday, police said that suspects accused of attacking police officers remained in detention. The Beersheba Magistrate's Court rejected an appeal by suspect Osama Abu Siam to reconsider his detention in light of a video aired by Channel 2 News on Sunday night that cast doubt on the police's version of events. The police had said the suspects tried to flee when their car was being pulled over – the driver of which was found to be holding an expired license – but in the video, the car does not appear to be fleeing, but traveling at a low speed. A major point of contention in the incident is when an officer later slapped Abu Siam after dozens of Rahat residents joined the suspects and, according to police, attacked them, wounding two policemen. Police say Abu Siam had picked up stones and shouted “kill the Jews” in Arabic. But Channel 2 News noted that in the video the suspect appears to be standing calmly before policemen seize him and push him to the ground, while another slaps him in the face. The suspect says that only then did he pick up a rock in self-defense. The officer has been questioned under caution. The judge, however, said that the video was not grounds to release Abu Siam from detention, and noted that it does not show what happened immediately before.
