I was at home in the afternoon, about to turn the computer on, when my friend H.K. ran into our house and told me Israeli soldiers were in the neighbourhood. I looked out the window and saw two soldiers behind my house. They stood there for a short while and then left. I went to the other window to see what they were up to and one of the soldiers spotted me. The soldiers banged at our front door and my mother opened for them.

 

The soldiers asked to see the young men in the house and my mother told them there were no young men in the house. One of the soldiers saw me and asked to see my hands. He was checking for dust as proof that I had been throwing stones. The other soldier saw a red T-Shirt in the room and wanted to know whose T-Shirt it was. I told him it was my friend’s. Then they dragged me and my friend H.K. and took us outside where an army vehicle was waiting. They told my mother they were going to take us and bring us back soon. They didn’t tell us why they were taking us or where. They didn’t have any papers with them.

 

The vehicle drove for a short while and then stopped on the way. The soldiers made us sit in the sun on the side of the road for more than an hour-and-a-half. They did not blindfold us and did not tie our hands. Some drivers saw us sitting there with soldiers and stopped to see if we needed help. The soldiers shouted at us when we spoke to the drivers.

 

Later the soldiers took us to a valley and made us kneel on thorny bushes. They pushed my head down and told me if I lifted my head up they were going to shoot me. I was terrified and didn’t move. Then they brought some food and tried to force us to eat. We didn’t want to eat because we were fasting as it was Ramadan.

 

Then two female soldiers drove us to Bet El settlement. We sat on the seats of the vehicle. When we arrived we waited in a shipping container. Later a Commander asked me why I throw stones at soldiers. They brought us more food but I told them I didn’t want to eat, and that I wanted to go home. No one said anything about any rights. 

 

Later they took us to the Coordination Office and Palestinian policemen took us home. They called my friend’s uncle and told him the story. I arrived home at 2:00 a.m. I did not sign anything and didn’t see a lawyer. It was a scary experience especially when they made me sit close to weapons and bullets.