The Mossawa Center for the Advocacy of Arab Citizens in Israel has formally petitioned the Police Commissioner and the Police Internal Investigations Department (PIID) to open an immediate investigation following an incident that occurred last weekend at a private wedding in Umm al-Fahm. According to the petition, also sent to senior officials of the Coastal District and Menashe Region, it is alleged that a large force of police entered the wedding venue and acted with excessive authority and disproportionate force toward guests.
Attorney Kamal Khoury, representing the center, described the activity as offensive and humiliating, noting that officers threw stun grenades, ordered participants to lie on the ground, and conducted searches of the attendees' bodies, all while causing property damage. Additionally, allegations were raised regarding the alleged use of a Taser against a person under police control, in the presence of children, women, and the elderly. The Mossawa Center clarifies that there is no dispute regarding the police's duty to enforce the law and prevent illegal use of weapons, but stresses that the action in this case exhibited characteristics of a humiliating collective search.
Conversely, the Israel Police stated that the operation was carried out based on suspicion of the use of weapons during the event. The police indicated they acted to investigate the suspicions and locate weapons, emphasizing they will continue to act decisively against the phenomenon of gunfire at weddings. It should be noted that at the end of the searches conducted by forces in the field, no weapons were seized and no one was arrested. The organization now demands the preservation of all evidence from the incident, including body camera footage from officers, 100-call center recordings, operational logs, and original operational orders.
Furthermore, the police are required to clarify the basis for the decision to raid and whether a legal search warrant was issued. The organization has set a seven-day ultimatum for a detailed response and indicated its intention to consider turning to legal channels to compel the PIID to exhaust the law. This affair joins another case reported recently, in which a bride and groom were detained for questioning on their way to a wedding on suspicion of disturbing traffic—an event that drew criticism from the family regarding the manner of enforcement, while the Minister of National Security backed the conduct of forces in the field.