A Jewish youth on Wednesday accused an Arab police officer of framing him and wrongly detaining him for investigation as he visited the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism.
Attorney Rehavia Plitz of the Honenu legal aid organization submitted a complaint to the police division tasked with investigating officers on Wednesday on behalf of the youth, according to a statement by Honenu on Thursday.
The incident took place on Wednesday morning when the youth ascended with his friends to the Mount.
According to him a police officer named Hussam stuck close by his side, claiming that he knew the youth from a previous incident, and saying "make some problems, I want to arrest you."
When the youth took out a camera and asked the Arab officer to repeat what he had said, Hussam refused.
The youth reports that he tried to stay away from the officer during his tour of the Temple Mount so as to avoid problems with him, but the officer thwarted his attempts and remained firmly by his side.
As the tour wound down the officer suddenly announced to the youth that he was being detained on suspicion of interfering with an officer completing his duty, claiming that the youth had called him a "stinking Arab" - the youth firmly denies the claim.
After being detained for several hours under investigation the youth was released.
Following his ordeal the youth contacted Honenu, leading to the complaint to the police in which it is charged that the officer's conduct was criminal.
"From the conduct of the officer there is more than just a concern that he staged the incident, in light of the officer's claim that they knew each other from before," wrote Plitz.
The attorney added, "this conduct and framing a citizen who didn't do anything is invalid conduct, and I request that you deal with this issue to the full extent of the law, and to bring the unruly officer to justice."
There have long been complaints over police conduct on the Temple Mount, where the police force Jews to wait to enter and enforce the Jordanian Waqf ban on Jewish prayer despite the fact that Israeli law ensures the freedom of worship.
Muslims on the holy site have long harassed Jews, and are also accused of waging a "brutal" campaign against priceless, ancient artifacts in an attempt to erase all traces of the Temple Mount's Jewish past.