East Jerusalem man yanks Haredi passerby’s sidelocks, spits and hurls ‘racist’ insults

East Jerusalem man in his 20s arrested over incident, which took place near Old City; court to consider request to extend his detention on Thursday

A man yanks at the sidecurls of an ultra-Orthodox passerby in Jerusalem, December 4, 2024. (Screen capture via X, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
A man yanks at the sidecurls of an ultra-Orthodox passerby in Jerusalem, December 4, 2024. (Screen capture via X, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

A man in Jerusalem yanked the sidelocks of an ultra-Orthodox passerby on Wednesday, then spat in his direction and cursed at him, police said.

The remarks were described by police as “racist,” apparently meaning antisemitic.

An East Jerusalem resident in his 20s was arrested shortly thereafter in connection with the incident.

The attack — recorded on video — occurred on the city’s Sultan Suleiman street, and was spotted in real-time by surveillance officers, who dispatched cops to the scene.

Police located the suspect within minutes and arrested him.

The suspect was set to be brought to a court on Thursday for a hearing on a request to extend his detention, as the police further investigate the incident.

“The Israel Police views with severity any sort of violence, and will continue to work with determination and zero tolerance against anyone who behaves with violence or hooliganism and attacks another person in a public place, or anywhere else,” the police said in a statement.

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