East Jerusalem man arrested for imprisoning his 23-year-old daughter in storage unit

A man was arrested by police on Saturday on suspicion of imprisoning his adult daughter against her will, hitting her, and cutting her hair at their home in East Jerusalem.

According to a statement from the Israel Police, the suspect, a 50-year-old resident of the Shuafat Refugee Camp in the capital’s northeast, is suspected of imprisoning his 23-year-old daughter in their home’s storage unit for an extended period.

Police said that the victim, who was allegedly beaten by her father and had her hair cut against her will, did not require medical treatment.

Police officers said they have begun an investigation into the case, which began when a witness reported the incident to Jerusalem Police.

Border Police officers worked with Jerusalem police officers to quickly locate where the victim was being held, rescued her from the storage unit and arrested her father.

According to police, the suspect appeared in court on Sunday and was ordered remanded into custody until at least Monday.

In a statement, police said they will continue to “act resolutely against violence of any kind, in particular, severe domestic violence.”

Activists have long complained that not enough is done to prevent violence against women in Israel, especially in cases known to the authorities and in Arab and Druze communities.

According to researchers at the Hebrew University-based Israel Observatory on Femicide, there were 16 cases of women murdered in Israel by a relative or a partner throughout 2021, and 21 cases in 2020.