I was stopped by Israeli soldiers in the old city of Jerusalem as I attempted to enter the mosque at around 1:00 p.m. They randomly searched my bag and found three kitchen knives. They immediately handcuffed me to the back with metal handcuffs which were very tight and painful. They also shackled my legs and covered my face with my jacket.

 

The soldiers then dragged me to a nearby place around the corner. I could hardly walk and couldn’t see anything. They swore at me and called me "a son of a whore" before I was strip-searched. They were very rough. I was then put in a car and sat on a seat. The car drove for a short while before arriving at a location where I was taken to a room for interrogation. At the time I did not know where I was but I later found out I was in Al Mascobiyeh interrogation centre, in West Jerusalem.

 

The interrogator did not remove the handcuffs and shackles before questioning me. I was not informed of any rights. I was immediately accused of attempting to stab someone. I immediately confessed as I didn’t think I had any option. The interrogation lasted for about 20 minutes and the interrogator showed me a document in Hebrew and asked me to sign it. I signed the document even though I didn’t understand what it said. I felt there were no options so it didn’t really matter.

 

I was then taken to a room and a lawyer came and advised me to remain silent but I had already confessed. I was given some food but I didn’t eat because it looked unappetising. I was then taken for another round of interrogation. This time the interrogator wanted to know whether I was a member of a group and whether other people were involved with me.

 

I was then taken to a cell where I was with other detainees. I remained at Al Mascobiyeh for one whole month and I was interrogated four times over this period of time. I was then transferred to Megiddo prison, inside Israel. In the end I was sentenced to one year in prison by Ofer military court but my father paid NIS 9,000 and I was released early. My mother had to borrow money from the bank to pay this large amount.

 

I spent three months in prison and my parents did not visit me at all because of issues with the permit. They were told the permit would take a long time and I don’t think they even tried.

 

It was very hard for me in prison because I didn’t make friends and I was alone most of the time. I didn’t really like to mix with the other prisoners. I did not study either. I missed a lot of school but I hope to go back to the eighth grade at the beginning of the school year in September.

 

I was released from prison on 14 July 2016. A taxi dropped me off at a nearby location and my father sent my cousins to pick me up.