I was with my cousin herding sheep near our village when all of a sudden a Toyota car appeared with Israeli soldiers inside. It was around 12:00 noon. I was scared and ran away and left the sheep with my cousin. About 15 minutes later I decided to re-join my cousin because I wanted to be there in case anything happened. I went back to where I left my cousin and the sheep and found the soldiers were still there.

 

As soon as I came close the soldiers arrested me and started to slap me. Then they made me sit on the ground with my head between my legs and my hands behind my back. Then they started to question me wanting to know why I was herding sheep in that area. They claimed we were not allowed to be there. I told them I was herding sheep and that we were not close to the settlement. I remained in that position with my cousin for about two hours.

 

A military jeep then arrived and the commander approached me and started to kick and slap me. He swore at me and called me "a son of a whore". He started to shout accusing me of coming too close to the settlement of Ma’on. I told him I was herding the sheep quite far from the settlement.

 

Another soldier approached and started to search me. He made me lift up my shirt to make sure I wasn’t carrying a knife. Then they tied my hands to the front with one plastic tie which was very painful. I was then taken to the back of the jeep where they made me sit on the floor together with my cousin. The jeep drove for about an hour to the police station in the settlement of Kiryat Arba.

 

At Kiryat Arba I was put in a shipping container where I sat on the floor with my cousin for about two hours. I was still tied and in pain. I asked a soldier to loosen the tie but he refused. I asked to use the toilet but they did not allow me. I wasn’t given any food either.

 

An interrogator walked into the shipping container and started to question me. He wanted to know what I was doing in the area near the settlement. He also wanted to know why I ran away. I told him I was herding sheep and didn’t do anything wrong. I also told him I ran away because I was scared of the soldiers. He then told me they were going to release me this time but if they were ever to see me in the area again they were going to lock me up in prison for a long time. The interrogator did not call my parents and did not inform me of any rights.

 

About an hour later I was put in a jeep with my cousin. The jeep drove for about an hour and then the soldiers released us near the settlement of Karmel without cutting off the ties. It was around 9:00 p.m. My cousin and I walked home.

 

This was a terrifying experience. I still find it hard to sleep at night and I occasionally have bad dreams.