A Temple Mount activist and father of four filed a civil lawsuit Monday seeking 42,000 shekels (approximately $12,000) in damages from Israel Police and the Israel Prison Service. The suit, filed through attorney Eladi Wiesel of the legal advocacy group Honenu, alleges that police shackled the man's hands and feet, held him for hours, and returned him to a detention cell even after a court ordered his immediate release.
According to the complaint, the incident occurred during the intermediate days of Passover, when the activist traveled with his family to Jerusalem's Old City. The case centered on a prior restraining order barring him from the Temple Mount—an order he says he received via WhatsApp message from an unknown number about a month after it was issued.
The restraining order prohibited him from approaching the "Temple Mount entrances," but the activist claims no map was attached defining the boundaries of the restricted zone. He stopped to pray approximately 20 meters from the police checkpoint at the Chain Gate when officers detained him.
Despite offering no resistance, not attempting to flee, and showing no violence, the lawsuit states, he was shackled at both his hands and feet and escorted through the Western Wall plaza to the Kishle police station. The complaint alleges he remained in restraints at the station for approximately seven hours.
During his detention, the activist attempted to contact his wife, who had been left in the Old City with their four children, including an infant about two months old. He claims one officer grabbed his hand while a Border Police officer tried to remove his phone from his pocket.
The lawsuit further alleges that when his wife arrived at the station, she was told her husband was already being represented by a Honenu attorney. As a result, she reportedly did not contact the organization's legal hotline herself, delaying efforts to secure his release. The man was transferred to the Russian Compound detention facility, where he spent the night.
The following day, the court rejected the police request for a restraining order and ordered the man released without conditions. The judge ruled that "it would have been proper to attach a map of the Temple Mount entrances, thereby removing any concern or doubt." Despite this ruling, the lawsuit claims that escorting officers shackled him once again at his hands and feet and returned him to a holding cell, where he was kept for an additional hour.
Attorney Wiesel stated: "This police failure forces law-abiding citizens into untenable situations, and as happened in my client's case, it snowballed into false imprisonment, humiliating shackling, and serious harm to his family."
He added: "Police must stop using these harmful orders so casually and must stop disrespecting the rights and dignity of those subject to restraining orders."
