At around 2:30 a.m. Israeli soldiers banged loudly on our front door. My father opened the door and more than 10 soldiers entered our home. One soldier immediately asked my father for me. When my father pointed at me the soldier told him they were going to arrest me.

 

The soldiers gave my father a document with details about my arrest and asked him to sign it. The document said they were going to take me to the settlement of Etzion to interrogate me. The commander asked my father for his telephone number and he wrote it down on the document.

 

One of the soldiers took me out of the house and tied my hands to the front with three plastic ties: one on each wrist and one connecting them. The ties were not painful. Another soldier blindfolded me and put me into the back of a troop carrier. There were other detainees in the vehicle. The minute I entered the vehicle a soldier swore at me saying bad things about my mother. He also kicked me.

 

The vehicle drove for about 10 minutes before stopping. I was immediately taken to see a doctor. A soldier removed the ties and the blindfold and the doctor examined me. He gave me a questionnaire with questions about my health. When the examination was over a soldier tied my hands and blindfolded me again and took me to another room. I was made to sit on the floor until around 9:00 a.m.

 

At around 9:00 a.m. I was taken back to the troop carrier which drove for another 30 minutes to the settlement of Etzion. On arrival I was taken out and made to sit on the ground in a courtyard. I remained there for about 30 minutes before being taken for interrogation.

 

The interrogator wore an Israeli police uniform and spoke fluent Arabic. He removed my hand ties and blindfold and turned a tape recorder on. Then he read me something from his computer screen about my right to silence and my right to consult with a lawyer. I told him my family probably appointed a lawyer for me. I did not speak to a lawyer before being interrogated. 

 

The interrogator started to question me and accused me of throwing stones at soldiers. I denied the accusation. He told me other boys had confessed against me. I continued to deny the accusation. The interrogation lasted for about an hour. In the end the interrogator tied my hands again and blindfolded me and took me outside where he made me sit on the ground for about two hours. During this time he interrogated other boys who were arrested on the same day as me. Then he called me back for another round of interrogation.

 

During the second interrogation he again accused me of throwing stones at soldiers and I denied the accusation once again. The interrogator then went out and brought in a boy who he said had confessed to throwing stones with me at soldiers. At this point I confessed. The second round of interrogation lasted about 30 minutes. In the end the interrogator printed out my statement in both Hebrew and Arabic and asked me to sign it which I did. I didn’t read it but the interrogator told me it was exactly what I had told him.

 

I was then photographed and fingerprinted. I was allowed to use the bathroom and drink water. Then a soldier took me to a cell inside Etzion settlement. I was in the cell by myself for about two hours. There was a metal bed in the room. At around 6:00 p.m. a soldier took me out. I was shackled and handcuffed and taken to the back of a vehicle which drove for about an hour before it stopped at Ofer prison, near Jerusalem. At Ofer I was strip searched. I was then given prison clothes and taken to Section 13 where I was put with other children.

 

At 9:30 a.m. the following day a soldier told me I had a military court hearing. My parents did not come to court. A lawyer was there to represent me. The hearing was adjourned for two days. My parents and the lawyer attended the second hearing. I was allowed to speak to my parents across the court room. The hearing was adjourned again.

 

I had several other military court hearings and the military judge kept asking the prosecutor to present a charge sheet but he never did. At the last hearing the judge decided to release me unconditionally due to the lack of a charge sheet. I was released on 3 July 2014 without being charged. My parents were waiting for me outside prison and they took me home.