18.08.26, Ran Shimoni, Haaretz
Officers invited public broadcaster Kan to document the southern Tel Aviv raid on
undocumented youths, drawing fierce criticism from a judge who said the PR stunt severely
harmed the investigation
Israel Police invited photographers from the Kan public broadcaster to accompany them on a
raid on an apartment in southern Tel Aviv in which eight minors were living, in order to
document their arrest. This is a clear violation of the law covering the legal rights of minors,
which restricts the publication of personal details of minors and also contravenes directives
issued by the attorney general's office forbidding police from initiating media participation in
search-and-investigation operations.
In a remand hearing for two of the suspects, the judge wrote in his decision that it was wrong
to photograph the arrest, and that since minors were involved, the damage was particularly
severe.
In the March operation, 30 police officers raided an apartment housing eight 16- and 17-year-
old youths. They were searching for youths connected to a gang known as SSQ, consisting
mainly of children of asylum seekers. With the police was journalist Itay Asher, who is the
creator of an online series called "Dokutaim." He received full access in order to videotape
the raid.
"They told him where to take pictures," said one of the youths.
Another one said that police kept urging Asher to take their pictures. The story was posted
with some of the youths shown with their faces blurred, with others shown handcuffed. The
video shows a policeman holding up assault weapons and drugs before the camera. The
accompanying caption was: "The Border Police chasing a violent gang which doesn't stop
operating, even during attacks by Iran."
The law grants minors special protections during police operations, requiring investigators to
respect their dignity during interrogations. It also restricts publishing any details that could
identify a minor suspected of a crime. Furthermore, the attorney general's guidelines prohibit
showy operations that violate the privacy and dignity of suspects.
According to the testimonies of these undocumented youths, the raiding officers forced all of
them to lie on the floor. The police only asked if any adults were present after the youths
pointed out they were minors, at which point they were allowed to call an adult to the
apartment. One youth reported undergoing a partial strip search in the bathroom with the door
left half-open as officers walked by, while another said he experienced the same thing in the
kitchen.
The youths were transferred to a police station in Jaffa. Due to missile sirens that evening,
they were held in the station's underground parking lot, which is a designated safe area. The
youths said that they sat there handcuffed for hours, in plain view of dozens of people – some
of whom took their pictures with their cellphones. This is contrary to regulations requiring
the police to safeguard their privacy and keep them away from adults, as much as possible.
They also said that their parents were only notified late that night, and that some were strip-
searched at the station, often while handcuffed to someone else. Others claimed that police
were violent during their arrest and at the station, with officers beating and cursing them,
telling them to go back to their own countries.
Some of the youths already have a criminal record. Their detention was extended several
times due to evidence connecting them to drugs found in the apartment. The court said that
the videotaping had not only violated their basic rights but had also hampered the
investigation. The court added that documenting the event came at the expense of a thorough
investigation, and that flaws in marking and documenting findings made it difficult to
connect suspects to these items.
The raid and its videotaping came on the backdrop of a police campaign against youths
associated with SSQ, which has been linked in recent years to a host of violent crimes in the
greater Tel Aviv area. Although more than half of the gang has been arrested and indicted, the
struggle against this gang has become one of the key goals of National Security Minister
Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has called for intensifying the campaign.
The episode of “Dokutaim” in which the raid was featured.
He has also asked the Shin Bet security service to get involved, arguing that the police have
difficulties contending with the problem. The youths said that this has resulted in more
detentions, searches and arrests – often for no reason – including of people who are
uninvolved.
"It's dangerous to step outside now," said one youth. "A policeman can arrive at any moment
and start an incident, with searches, collection of details, picture taking. It's been happening
for years but has now gotten worse."
The Association of Civil Rights in Israel and the ASSAF nonprofit group which assists
asylum seekers have asked the unit investigating police misconduct to intervene, based on a
violation of the youths' rights in several manners, including the participation of the media in
the raid and the searches conducted.
"The law was violated just for police public relations purposes," said ACRI. "Policemen
should be held accountable for this."
ASSAF said that "the police abuse minors with no legal status in the name of law
enforcement, marking them a priori as a threat. This increases alienation and fear rather than
enhancing personal security. Enforcement will be achieved through professional and focused
law enforcement against crime gangs, as well as by investing in children and youths while
ensuring a future for people who were born here and who have no other home."
.
The police did not respond to questions by Haaretz regarding the legality of its operations and
the criticism voiced by the court. A spokesperson said they had "carried out an operation with
the Border Police in order to curb serious crimes. This included a house search which led to
the seizure of illegal assault weapons, as well as a large quantity of dangerous drugs of
various kinds. Suspects were arrested for further investigation."
Kan said that "'Dokutaim' is a documentary online series which documents the work and
reality of different agencies in Israel. In this context, a team accompanied the Border Police
on missions in Tel Aviv during the war with Iran. In one case there was a raid on an
apartment suspected of containing drugs. It later turned out that some of the people arrested
were minors. This was not planned in advance. Kan abides by the law and the story blurred
the faces of the suspects."
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