A personal account of detention, racism and broken rules

May 8, 2019 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil team | Al-Khalil (Hebron), occupied Palestine

soldiers in focus, big group of children further away

The neighborhood of Salaymeh next to Salaymeh checkpoint (160) has been the center of tensions between Palestinians and the Israelis in the city of Al-Khalil (Hebron). This checkpoint cuts off an already poor and struggling neighborhood from the rest of the city. At these checkpoints that are throughout Hebron, Palestinians are stopped, delayed, searched, asked for ID and sometimes denied passage. The checkpoints are a daily humiliation and intimidation of the local people by the occupying Israeli army.

The checkpoint at Salaymeh is also used every day by children on their way to and from school who are subject to the same treatment by the soldiers. From the moment the children start looking like teenagers, they go from being treated like children to being treated as criminals. In order to cope with this the children, have to learn to handle themselves as adults from a very early age, and as a result they are forced to grow up far too quickly.

There is a massive tension at the checkpoints because the children are angry and frustrated, and the soldiers are hostile and confrontational. There are frequent clashes between the children and the soldiers. The soldiers will throw tear gas and stun grenades and sometimes even shoot rubber bullets at the children for throwing rocks at the checkpoint. This response, which happens on an almost daily basis, is completely disproportionate – adults using military weapons against children on their way to school.

In the past week 2 children have been abducted and illegally detained by soldiers in Salaymeh. Both of them were 14 years old from Jerusalem and were visiting their cousin in Al-Khalil. The children were dragged from school, frisked, forced on their knees and handcuffed by the soldiers. One of them was let go after 2 hours, the other was taken to a military base, where he was interrogated without his lawyer or parents present.

https://youtu.be/IGjbJuP88Js

 

An international activist who was documenting this incident was also detained by the soldiers, she describes her detention as follows:

I’ve been at Salaymeh checkpoint every other day for a month and a half just trying to document the soldier’s harassment of the children, keeping in contact with the UN, so they can hopefully help if children are arrested. I am always mindful not to antagonize the soldiers and try to interact with them as little as possible. My hope is that an international presence will result in less violence because the soldiers will know they are being watched and may be held accountable.

On the day that I was detained I was filming a soldier as normal, who threatened to arrest another activist who I was with. Because I’d witnessed a lot of broken rules and violence by the army during my time at Salaymeh checkpoint, I knew it was important to keep filming. The commander asked me to move away, and when I kept filming, she told me that she would have another soldier move me with force. When I didn’t stop filming, she told me to come with her and that she had the authority to make arrests. I was very unsure of what to do in this situation – I had been told before that soldiers could not make arrests, but I was confused, and I was afraid of what might happen so I complied and went with her. I later found out that what the commander had said was in fact a lie and that she had absolutely no legal authority to detain me.

I was kept at Salaymeh checkpoint for an hour and a half, being told that the police would come but they never did. I was then put into a military van without being told where I was being taken. They then drove me around the city back and forth for half an hour which was very confusing. I still don’t know why they did this but I believe now that they were trying to shake off the UN who were trying to find out where I was being held in order to assist me. Eventually I was taken to a military base where they were also holding the Palestinian child who had been arrested. We were both held there for over 5 hours. During this time I was marshalled around, sporadically questioned, never given any food or water and never having anything explained to me. I was told that I would never be able to return to the country and that I would be deported that day. The whole time I was denied access to my lawyer and I was never given any reason for why I was being held.

What struck me the most about being detained with the Palestinian child was that as an international I was treated far better. I, an adult, was not handcuffed, and I was allowed to keep my things. He however, a child, was handcuffed, restrained, frisked, and they took his phone and his things. It was shocking and angering to me that this child was treated so much worse than me – it made it very obvious to me that the treatment of Palestinians undoubtedly has its roots in racism.

 

children running away, military jeep in the background

Military jeep to the left, soldiers pointing at two men in front of a school
Principal tries to stop soldiers from entering a school

 

Soldier standing on another soldier taking pictures into a school

Soldiers, children in the background

Soldier walking, big cloud of tear gas in the background

 

School Children bombarded with teargas by soldiers in Al-Khalil

April 14, 2019 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil team | Al-Khalil (Hebron), occupied Palestine

Israeli occupation forces shoot huge amounts of tear gas at school children near Al-Salaymeh checkpoint in Al-Khalil.  Soldiers further confiscate the car keys of every Palestinian driver in the area.

 

Soldiers invade Al-Khalil, bombarding the city with tear gas and stun grenades. Tear gas is seen in the background.
Soldiers invade Al-Khalil, bombarding the city with tear gas and stun grenades.

Around 8am soldiers shot tear gas and stun grenades at school children near Al-Salaymeh checkpoint. Forcing the children back with tear gas, the soldiers moved closer to the schools, while continuously throwing tear gas and stun grenades. At one point the soldiers tried to enter a school, but the principal convinced them not to. As protests erupted, the soldiers closed off all traffic, while confiscating the keys of all Palestinian drivers.

Several of the young children were visibly scared, but thankfully no one was seriously injured, although many suffered the effects of excessive tear gas inhalation. The press was told to leave several times.

The soldiers retired behind the checkpoint around 10.30am.

Soldier uses stun grenade on school children at Salaymeh

February 24, 2019 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil team | Al-Khalil, occupied Palestine

ISM were monitoring the checkpoint at Salaymeh this morning when they witnessed a soldier throwing a concussion grenade at children on the H1 side of the checkpoint.

Soldier throwing concussion grenade at children

This morning the ISM team in Al-Khalil were monitoring the checkpoint at Salaymeh.

Infamous illegal settler Ofer Yohana (עופר אוחנה) arrived around 7.20am, greeting the soldiers warmly and began conversing in Hebrew while looking in the direction of the activists. He then began to film and harass activists, insinuating that they were pedophiles for greeting the students on their way to school.

After 15 minutes of harassing activists, Ofer then turned his attention to the children on the H1 side of the checkpoint. He stood directly in front of the checkpoint on the H2 side so as to antagonize the children on their way to school. He began to film the children on the H1 side, provoking a reaction from them.

Some children threw stones in Ofer’s direction after 5 minutes of him filming them. This in turn caused a soldier to leave his post without wearing his helmet and move round to the H2 side of the checkpoint so he could toss a concussion grenade in the childrens’ direction. We captured the incident on video here:

The children then scattered in different directions with several of the younger girls screaming when the concussion grenade exploded. Thankfully none of the children were hurt by the grenade exploding, although some were left visibly shaken, with some children standing close to activists not wanting to cross the checkpoint.

He then returned to his vehicle and departed after 30 minutes of bullying children and harassing activists.

After School in Hebron, A Journal – 6 boys detained by Israeli forces in 2 Days

5th December 2018 | International Solidarity Movement, Al-Khalil Team | Hebron, occupied Palestine   [Updated December 6]

For two days running, Israeli occupation soldiers and Border Police ambushed young children aged 10-14 years after school in Hebron.

Tuesday, 24thDec. 2 boys were detained at Salaymeh checkpoint after being ambushed by a group of soldiers sneaking around in gardens and through a garage before bursting out behind the boys who were standing in a driveway. The boys were not throwing any the stones but were just randomly grabbed by the soldiers as they ambushed them. ISMers were only meters away and security camera footage confirms that the boys were merely standing in the driveway at the time. Two of the boys were aged 11 and one 10. One can only imagine the terror young boys experience when suddenly kidnapped by soldiers of the occupying army!

 

A border policeman abducts a young boy
A border policeman abducts a young boy from the street after ambushing children near Hebron School. (Photo Christian Peacemaker Teams)

The Israeli Zionist forces are renowned for their cruelty even to minors: imprisoning children as young as 12 through their military courts and prisons system in which there are no rights for Palestinians. The youngest ever Palestinian child prisoner was released just days ago after a three-year prison sentence from 12 to 15 years of age.

The inhumanity of Israel is fully understood by Palestinians growing up under occupation. Collective punishment and psychological cruelty through torture and macabre tactics such as withholding bodies of Palestinians who have been killed or died during imprisonment are universally understood by Palestinians and well documented by international as well as local observers/researchers. …and there is no justice system to protect Palestinians.

Imagine what goes through the mind of a 10-year-old child suddenly grabbed by an armed solder from an occupying army and dragged from his neighbourhood! Fortunately, the boys were released after being detained for more than an hour inside the checkpoint.

Today also (December 5), 3 boys were abducted aged 14, 11 and 9. The boys attend two of the local schools and were kidnapped from the street around 300 metres from Qeitun checkpoint. They were standing in the street talking about 3 metres from an ISM activist when they were ambushed by Israeli Border Police.

The two younger boys were released later today, but the 14-year-old was taken away. According to the headmaster of the Hebron School, Khalil Abu Sunaineh, the older boy could face up to 6 months imprisonment. The military court does not need to give evidence to support any accusation on the grounds that it is “classified information”. There is a 98% conviction rate.

The headmaster showed us pictures on the wall of the school hallway, over 70 pictures taken over the last two years show child arrests, tear gas, concussion grenades both inside the school and on the street outside. They are the tip of the iceberg. He has been at the school for 14 years!

gallery of soldier invasions
A gallery of soldier invasions of the school, abductions, concussion grenades and tear gas in the school and on the street outside.

He also told us that the soldiers and border police sneak around in the middle of the night mapping the neighbourhood and planning their ambushes. We’d witnessed this ourselves during the day. It was creepy enough in the daytime seeing soldiers just walk around in people’s gardens, exploring every alleyway, entering apartment buildings at will and ascending to the rooftops. It must feel violating to live under these circumstances.

Israeli forces justify their actions because some Palestinian children throw stones at them. To the uninformed this may seem a valid argument on the surface. However, it’s important to remember that the Israelis are the occupiers and have absolutely no rights under international law to defend themselves from the people they occupy. They are the aggressors. They are not civil enforcement officers of the Palestinian community.

This argument also holds no water because usually in any specific situation the Israeli forces are the aggressors who initiate conflict.

Even if we accepted this erroneous argument, the children who were detained on these two days were not throwing stones. To detain, or arrest and imprison them, for what someone else has done at any time at all is unjust and a form of collective punishment.

What justification can there possibly be for concussion grenades, toxic tear gas (228 tear gas rounds and 51 concussion grenades were fired in the Salaymeh / Qeitun neighbourhoods in 15 school days between November 4 and November 27, 2018 (including 34 tear gas rounds in one day!))? [Statistics from Christian Peacemaker Teams] This is on top of the usual intimidation, child abduction and invasion of streets and schools by armed soldiers in residential neighbourhoods!

Examples of tear gas being used in the Saleymeh / Quetun neighbourhoods.

These are children! Such actions are totally unacceptable on minors.

Do such actions promote peace? Do they not actually sustain and deepen the inhumane occupation of the Palestinian people?

Do they not also inspire rejection of the immoral occupation, and provoke further resistance against such oppression?

Fortunately, Palestinians usually choose non-violent resistance rather than violence, leaving Israelis with the moral predicament of enforcing the immoral and illegal occupation and the international community with the shame of their inaction.

 

Addendum:

These are part of a much larger continual attack on Palestine’s future by targeting children and their education: The following links show the extent of these attacks in just one week of November and other articles by Palestinian and international commentators are given for reference:

   Opinion – redactional

   Reports (Nov 2018)

  Older reports on palsolidarity.org

 

 

Collective punishment on the way to school – the Israeli forces’ ‘job’

1st February 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On Wednesday, 1st February 2017, Israeli forces intimidated school-children on their way to school. In the process, they closed one of the main checkpoints delaying teachers and school-children as they were on their way to school.

As groups of children were passing the checkpoint in both directions to reach their schools, a few children ran up to the checkpoint throwing pebbles at the big metal structure. These children were immediately stopped by Palestinian adults and shortly after ran off. Despite the fact that the checkpoint is fenced off with metal and it is therefore impossible to actually hit anyone, the Israeli forces immediately came out of the checkpoint-box, as the children ran away.

The soldiers immediately locked the turnstiles, the one leading into the checkpoint box and the one allowing people that have passed the checkpoint to go out onto the street. Three boys, after having passed the metal detector, were locked inside the checkpoint, as soldiers prohibited them from passing the turnstile, keeping it locked. When asked by ISMers to allow the boys to leave, a female soldier told them that she’s ‘doing her job’, and they will have to wait till everything is over. This was after the boys throwing the stones had already left the area. She refused to let the boys go even though they clearly were not involved–insisting that it was ‘her job’. This constitutes a form of collective punishment illegal under Art. 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention and is considered a war crime.

A group of Palestinian school children exiting the checkpoint, were locked inside and kept waiting. When the soldier who was suppose to operate the checkpoint was confronted by international activists, her response was: "I don't care. It's my job."
School-children locked inside the checkpoint as Israeli forces deny them to pass and leave – collective punishment of school-children discounted by the soldiers as ‘their job’

Shortly after, people were gathering at the turnstile at the entrance to the checkpoint. A total of two men, two school-boys and one school-girl were trapped on this side of the checkpoint. When they asked the soldiers to open, they were yelled at and told to ‘shut up’. Several left, but others patiently waited for the Israeli forces to allow them in – one by one only, a process that goes very slowly.

Several Palestinian are standing in line at the entry of the checkpoint, as israeli forces stand by and do nothing.
Several Palestinian are standing in line at the entry of the checkpoint, as Israeli forces stand by and deny them the right to pass.

 

Several Palestinian are standing in line at the entry of the checkpoint, as israeli forces stand by and do nothing.
Palestinians trapped at the locked turnstile as Israeli forces refuse to open. The checkpoint is the only possible way for Palestinians to reach the other side, always at the mercy of the occupying forces.

Shortly after, a group of Israeli forces went through the gate at the checkpoint, walking towards the cluster of schools located behind the checkpoint.

A group of frightened palestinian school children are standing by, as Israeli forces invaded the palestinian neighborhood of Salaymeh.
A group of Palestinian school children waiting for their school-bus, as the heavily-armed Israeli forces stand by watching a group of children outside their schools.

As the Israeli forces approached the schools, teachers made sure that their students would get to school, safely past the Israeli forces.

Israeli forces invaded the Palestinian neighborhood of Salaymeh, looking for school children involved in throwing rocks at Israeli military checkpoint.
Israeli forces watching school-children as they go to school.

The soldiers pointed their live-ammunition assault-rifles several times at school-children: a form of intimidation used on school children regardless of their age.

Israeli soldier, carrying weapon with live ammunition, pointed his weapon several times at a large group of school children, standing outside of their school.
Israeli forces pointing their guns and aiming at school-children.