Police Seize Palestinian IDs

by ISM Hebron, July 23 2006 5:30

Two Palestinian women from the Tel Rumeida neighborhood were on their way to visit their aunt in the hospital when the police stopped them for an ID check. Because one of the women was not wearing a headscarf, as is normal in the particularly religious city of Hebron, one of the policemen did not believe the two women came from Tel Rumeida. Frequently police and soldiers deny entry to anyone coming into Tel Rumeida who cannot prove they live there. After after being verbally abusive to the women, the police officer returned the IDs. One of the women took it back from him quickly as she was in a hurry, causing the police officer to become upset and nervous. He took her ID back from her, and went to his car for a while. He then told her to come over to the car. She replied that if he wanted to talk to her, he could come over to her instead. She and the other woman left in disgust.

After they returned from the hospital they called the DCO to see if they could get the ID back. The DCO said that if she doesn’t get it back in a day, they’d see what they could do.

This family is harassed regularly by soldiers and settlers and frequently calls on human rights workers in Tel Rumeida to intervene. The family believes that the harassment is severe and frequent due to settlers wanting the family’s house. The house is in a somewhat strategic location on the top of Tel Rumeida hill. Recent bouts of harassment include settlers stealing the family’s water pipe, burning their olive trees and soldiers invading the property at night.