As I left home at 7:30 a.m. to go to school, I found a piece of paper in both Hebrew and Arabic on the ground outside our front door. I picked it up and found out it was a summons for me to go to Qalandia checkpoint for questioning. I had no idea who left the document there or when.

 

I went to school and found out that one of my friends had also received a similar document. I was worried about my father who was due to return from Jordan where he was having surgery. I thought that if I didn't go to Qalandia checkpoint as ordered my father might be detained at the bridge trying to return home from Jordan. So me and my friend decided to go to the checkpoint as requested.

 

I told my family what I was going to do and me and my friend went to the checkpoint at around 10:00 a.m. I handed my identity card over to the Israeli soldiers who immediately searched me and tied my hands behind my back with one plastic tie. The tie was tight. Then they took me into a shipping container where I sat on a chair.

 

About 30 minutes later a commander came and accused me of throwing Molotov cocktails at the checkpoint. When I denied the accusation he started to shout hysterically and tried to scare me with an electric cable he had with him. He told me if I didn’t confess he was going to beat me with the cable. He did not inform me of any rights. 

 

After about 30 minutes of questioning I was taken out of the shipping container just as they brought in my friend. They made me sit on the ground outside for about 30 minutes.

 

After about 30 minutes outside the soldiers put me in the back of a jeep where I sat on the floor. The jeep drove for a short distance to Atarot police station, in East Jerusalem, where I was taken to a room where I waited for about an hour while still tied. At around 1:00 p.m. I was taken for some more interrogation.

 

The interrogation at the police station lasted for about four hours. During this time I was questioned by five different interrogators who did not inform me that I had any rights. I found the interrogation was very harsh. They all tried to extract a confession from me by speaking in a loud voice and banging the table. They all accused me of throwing Molotov cocktails at the checkpoint. I was very scared but I denied the accusation and did not confess. During the interrogation I asked to speak to a lawyer but the interrogator refused.

 

About four hours later I was taken out of the interrogation room and I saw my friend. I whispered to him not to say anything. The soldiers heard me whisper to my friend and then three of them started to beat me very harshly. Then they made me stand against a wall for about three hours as punishment. During this time I asked to use the toilet and I was allowed to go once.

 

At around 2:00 a.m. I was taken with my friend to Ofer prison, near Jerusalem, where I was strip searched and taken to Section 13.

 

Two days later I was taken to Ofer military court. My parents and my lawyer were in court and I was allowed to speak to them. The military judge ordered that I be sent back for more interrogation and if I didn’t confess and no more evidence was presented he was going to release me.

 

The following day I was taken back to Atarot police station. I was interrogated again about the same accusation and the interrogation was harsh but I did not confess. The interrogator verbally abused me and called me "a son of a whore". When I swore back at him he slapped me and ordered the soldiers to take me out. I was taken back to Ofer at around 1:30 a.m.

 

I had six more military court hearings and each time the hearing was adjourned. In the end I was released on bail of NIS 1,000 on 19 November 2016.