Author: ISM Media Group

By the ISM Media Team

Monday June 18th, 2007

At 2:45pm two international human rights workers were walking down the hill from the olive groves, toward the top of Tel Rumeida hill, when some local Palestinian children told the HRWs that some Palestinian boys were in trouble with police down the street.

The HRWs went down the street where a group of about 10 Palestinians men, and young men, were standing around a police jeep. TIPH was also present. An Israeli policeman was speaking with two Palestinian boys, 16 years of age, one of whose father was present. The Palestinian boys father was very angry with his son, and was yelling at him while, at the same time, trying to convince the policeman to release his son. However the policeman then told the two boys to get into the jeep, and closed the doors.

When an HRW spoke with the policeman and asked him what happened the policeman responded “I am not required to speak with you,” and “I do not have to tell you anything.” At this point the other HRW called one of the Palestinian boy’s brother, who is a human rights worker himself.

The boys brother came directly and told the police he would go with his younger brother, and the other resident boy, to the police station. The police then took the boys, and the Palestinian human rights worker, to Kiryat Arba Police station.

During this time, TIPH was able to take the statements of one of the Palestinian boys.

Apparently what happened, as the HRWs and TIPH learned from a local Palestinian boy who was present during the incident, is that the boys had been walking and spotted a large electrical cable in a pile of trash. They cut the cable, with a small knife, and began dragging it to the Palestinian controlled section of Hebron, where they could sell the cable. A Settler had been watching the boys, as they did this, from the Jewish cemetery and called the police, on his phone, and a nearby soldier to intervene. Apparently the Settler had said that the boys had made threatening gestures with the small knife they used to cut the cable, though it was nothing more than a butter knife.

The soldier detained the boys, and the police, who arrived quickly, immediately began to question the two oldest boys and said they would be taken to Kiryat Arba. The Palestinian boys brother told the HRWs that, at Kiryat Arba, the boys had told the police that the cable belonged to no one, and that they had never threatened the settler with the knife. The Settler had yelled at them, and they had ignored him because they wanted the cable. The police released the boys because it was obvious that the cable was trash, and belonged to no one and the knife could obviously not hurt anyone.

The Palestinian boys had been questioned at the Kiryat Arba police station for about half an hour before they were driven back to Tel Rumeida. They were gone from Tel Rumeida for about 45 minutes.

One of the other boys who was present during the incident was told, by the Palestinians who had gone to Kiryat Arba, that the police were looking for him so he left the area and went home.

By The ISM Media Team

Wednesday, June 13, 2007 6:30—9 pm

A 21-year old Palestinian male was detained at the Tel Rumeida Hill at 6:30 p.m. for not having his Palestinian id (hawiya). He told the soldiers that he forgot it at home.

The detainee’s brother was told to go home by the soldiers to retrieve the id so they could check it. When the group of soldiers told him to go home and bring them back his brother’s id, he told the soldier he wanted to stay with his brother. There was innitialy a discussion over whether the boy should go home to get the ID or not however this discussion escalated and the soldier became aggressive and grabbed the boy. At this point the soldier dragged the Palestinian boy to one side to continue speaking with him. When the soldier became aware that the HRWs present were filming and watching the situation, the soldier attempted to move the boy round the side of a nearby house, out of the line of vision of the HRWs. There was serious concern for the safety of the boy especially due to the aggressive nature of the soldier and the attempts by the soldier to remove him from view of the cameras. When the HRWs attempted to move to a position where they were able to view what was going on, other soldiers began to block them. It could be seen however that the boy had been pushed up against the wall whilst the soldier was still speaking to him in a threatening manner. Eventually the soldier let go of the boy and allowed him to leave to get his brothers ID.

When an international HRW, who spoke fluent Arabic, asked the detainee about his ID, he said was currently waiting to receive a new ID. His previous one was ruined in the washing machine and he had taken it to the Palestinian police for a new one. The Palestinian police told him to return for a new ID in two to three days.
An Israeli soldier told the HRWs that because the detainee had his id taken by the Palestinian Police that it usually means there is some sort of problem. He did not believe that it was a problem of the young man needing to get a new id.

The brother of the detainee returned with an old photo ID, of his brother, stating his full name and ID number in Arabic. The soldier could not speak Arabic and needed the HRW to translate his questions for the detained Palestinian.
First the soldier asked if this was the current number of the detainee’s ID and then had the young man read him the numbers. The soldier then phoned in the Palestinian’s ID number and was told that this number was in error. The soldier asked the detainee to re-read the numbers and realized that the first time he had read them backwards.
The soldier then asked the Palestinian for the name of his father and grandfather. The soldier told the international that they were not finding a match between the number and the name and that was a problem. While waiting, the soldier told the HRW that the id card was not enough and could be a fake. The soldiers told the detainee that if he was cold, he could sit in the soldiers post but the young Palestinian man refused.

At this point the young man had been detained for 2 hours. The soldiers said that they had to wait for conformation, or “orders” to release the young man. Every time they called the station, however, they did not receive conformation. Internationals had been calling the Red Cross and ACRI throughout the incident, as well as the police (although they hung up multiple times). After two hours the Red Cross called the police, and they finally arrived.

When the police came they took the id of the detainee’s brother and the identification card of the detainee. The police asked of both young men the name of their father, grandfather, and mother. After the young men had answered the police then separated the brothers to ask them the same questions separately to see if they were really brothers.
They told the detainees brother to walk a short way away and then asked the young man the names of their siblings, where they lived and with who, and the occupation of their father. The police then called the detainees brother back and asked him the same questions.

After this, the officer told the detainee that not having an ID is a big problem and to save himself and others trouble, and take his ID with him wherever he goes. The officer told him that if he is going to go anywhere, where he knows there are soldiers, bring his ID, because they will never know when their IDs will be checked.
The officer also told the young Palestinian man that it took a long time for the soldiers to do background checks because they do not have a computer and it only takes the police a few minutes.

By The ISM Media Team

Wednesday, June 13, 2007 6:30—9 pm

A 21-year old Palestinian male was detained at the Tel Rumeida Hill at 6:30 p.m. for not having his Palestinian id (hawiya). He told the soldiers that he forgot it at home.

The detainee’s brother was told to go home by the soldiers to retrieve the id so they could check it. When the group of soldiers told him to go home and bring them back his brother’s id, he told the soldier he wanted to stay with his brother. There was innitialy a discussion over whether the boy should go home to get the ID or not however this discussion escalated and the soldier became aggressive and grabbed the boy. At this point the soldier dragged the Palestinian boy to one side to continue speaking with him. When the soldier became aware that the HRWs present were filming and watching the situation, the soldier attempted to move the boy round the side of a nearby house, out of the line of vision of the HRWs. There was serious concern for the safety of the boy especially due to the aggressive nature of the soldier and the attempts by the soldier to remove him from view of the cameras. When the HRWs attempted to move to a position where they were able to view what was going on, other soldiers began to block them. It could be seen however that the boy had been pushed up against the wall whilst the soldier was still speaking to him in a threatening manner. Eventually the soldier let go of the boy and allowed him to leave to get his brothers ID.

When an international HRW, who spoke fluent Arabic, asked the detainee about his ID, he said was currently waiting to receive a new ID. His previous one was ruined in the washing machine and he had taken it to the Palestinian police for a new one. The Palestinian police told him to return for a new ID in two to three days.
An Israeli soldier told the HRWs that because the detainee had his id taken by the Palestinian Police that it usually means there is some sort of problem. He did not believe that it was a problem of the young man needing to get a new id.

The brother of the detainee returned with an old photo ID, of his brother, stating his full name and ID number in Arabic. The soldier could not speak Arabic and needed the HRW to translate his questions for the detained Palestinian.
First the soldier asked if this was the current number of the detainee’s ID and then had the young man read him the numbers. The soldier then phoned in the Palestinian’s ID number and was told that this number was in error. The soldier asked the detainee to re-read the numbers and realized that the first time he had read them backwards.
The soldier then asked the Palestinian for the name of his father and grandfather. The soldier told the international that they were not finding a match between the number and the name and that was a problem. While waiting, the soldier told the HRW that the id card was not enough and could be a fake. The soldiers told the detainee that if he was cold, he could sit in the soldiers post but the young Palestinian man refused.

At this point the young man had been detained for 2 hours. The soldiers said that they had to wait for conformation, or “orders” to release the young man. Every time they called the station, however, they did not receive conformation. Internationals had been calling the Red Cross and ACRI throughout the incident, as well as the police (although they hung up multiple times). After two hours the Red Cross called the police, and they finally arrived.

When the police came they took the id of the detainee’s brother and the identification card of the detainee. The police asked of both young men the name of their father, grandfather, and mother. After the young men had answered the police then separated the brothers to ask them the same questions separately to see if they were really brothers.
They told the detainees brother to walk a short way away and then asked the young man the names of their siblings, where they lived and with who, and the occupation of their father. The police then called the detainees brother back and asked him the same questions.

After this, the officer told the detainee that not having an ID is a big problem and to save himself and others trouble, and take his ID with him wherever he goes. The officer told him that if he is going to go anywhere, where he knows there are soldiers, bring his ID, because they will never know when their IDs will be checked.
The officer also told the young Palestinian man that it took a long time for the soldiers to do background checks because they do not have a computer and it only takes the police a few minutes.

By the ISM Media Team

June 18th, 2007- Sunday

Two Palestinian brothers had been playing football in a small field located next door to their house in Tel Rumeida, when two adult male Settlers approached them aggresively. In fear, the two brothers ran and hid for their safety fearing that they would be attacked by the Settlers. In running away the boys had left behind their football, which the Settlers took. From where the boys were hiding, they could see the Settlers take a knife out and stab it into the football destroying the football and wrecking the children’s game. This display of aggression and harrassment against children demonstrates the constant battle the Palestinians have to face in wishing to live in peace. Harrassment and intimidation is directed at all members of community and there is little regard for the fact that they are directing their intimidation at defenseless children who should be protected from the conflict and are not party to it.

At 10:50pm on Wednesday June 21st, A group of Human Rights Workers were sitting in their apartment when suddenly they found themselves under attack with rocks being hurled at force at their home. The attack was brief, lasting between 6 -10 seconds however they found four rocks left on their roof from the incident.

About one week before stones had been hitting the house at about a similar time, apparently flung by Israeli settlers from Tel Rumeida settlement.

Two HRWs went down into the street to see if there were any settlers were about, but no one was able to be seen. They proceeded to go to a Palestinian home, located next to Tel Rumeida settlement, that had been attacked in the past with stones at around the same time. When the internationals arrived they found the family awake. The head of the house, Hasshem Al-Azzah, told the HRWs that his home was attacked by settlers at almost the exactly same time the internationals home had been hit with stones.
Hasshem told the HRWs that his home had been hit with stones for about five minutes before he came out and saw a settler man run away right below the balcony of Baruch Marzel. He further informed the HRWs that he had seen settlers on the roof of Tel Rumeida settlement recently with a large slingshot.

After about half an hour, after the internationals left the Al-Azzah home, at about 11:40pm three more rocks hit the roof of the HRWs home.