Detention of Academic for Wearing Dual-Flag Kippah Leads to Police Investigation
Introduction
Alex Sinclair, a British Israeli lecturer at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, was briefly detained by Israeli police after a fellow cafe patron reported his kippah—which featured both the Israeli and Palestinian flags—as illegal. The incident has generated domestic and international attention and led to a formal complaint with the police internal investigations division.
Main Body
The incident occurred in Modiin, central Israel, where Sinclair was working on his laptop at a cafe. According to his account, a man approached him angrily, claimed that the kippah was against the law, and said he would call the police. Officers arrived about five minutes later and told Sinclair that his head covering was illegal and would be taken away. Sinclair refused to give it up, was arrested, taken to a police station, and placed in a cell. After roughly twenty minutes, he was released but initially was not given back his kippah. When he insisted, a female officer returned the item with the Palestinian flag portion cut out. Sinclair described the experience as strange and filed a complaint with the Department of Internal Police Investigations, citing unlawful detention and property damage. Israeli police confirmed that they responded to a hotline report about a man wearing a kippah with a Palestinian flag. In a statement, they noted that the individual was brought to the station for clarification and later released. They refused further comment, citing an ongoing complaint with the Ministry of Justice’s internal investigations division. Under Israeli law, there is no clear rule against displaying the Palestinian flag; courts have generally treated it as protected expression. However, police are allowed to remove or take such flags if they are considered a threat to public order or a sign of support for a terrorist organization. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has instructed police to enforce stricter measures against Palestinian flags, a policy that Israeli rights organizations have criticized as illegal. Sinclair, an observant Masorti Jew who grew up in north London, stated that he had worn the dual-flag kippah for about twenty years as a deliberate expression of what he called “the complex feelings of my Jewish-Zionist identity.” He described himself as a Zionist who believes in Israel’s right to exist in security alongside Palestinian rights. He chose the design to distinguish himself from right-wing and far-right religious nationalists. Over the years, he reported receiving both positive reactions from Palestinian citizens of Israel and occasional negative encounters, which he had previously managed to turn into political discussions. Following this incident, he expressed anger, frustration, and concern about being on police radar. He is planning to order a new kippah with both flags and has demanded compensation for the damaged item, as well as a written guarantee that he can wear it without harassment. Reactions to the incident have included criticism from political figures and academic institutions. Yair Golan, leader of Israel’s Democrats Party, characterized the event not merely as a matter of a damaged kippah but as a sign of a broader collapse of the Israeli police. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where Sinclair lectures in Jewish education, issued a strongly worded letter expressing concern over what it described as a clear violation of freedom of expression and condemning the officers’ behavior. The broader context includes a significant expansion of police powers to enforce public order since the start of Israel’s military operation in Gaza in October 2023, following a deadly attack by Hamas. Multiple incidents of officers removing and seizing Palestinian flags have been reported. According to figures from Palestinian health authorities, more than 72,000 people have been killed and over 172,000 injured by Israeli attacks in Gaza over the past three years.
Conclusion
The case highlights ongoing tensions around political expression in Israel, with the police’s actions now under internal investigation. Sinclair intends to continue wearing the dual-flag kippah, while the outcome of his complaint and the broader implications for freedom of expression remain uncertain.