I woke up to the sound of banging at our front door. It was around 1:30 a.m. I quickly got up and found Israeli soldiers already inside our home. They were talking to my father telling him they had come to arrest me. They did not give my father any documents and did not tell him where they were taking me or why.

 

The soldiers told me to get dressed and then took me outside where they tied my hands to the front with three plastic ties: one on each wrist and one connecting the two. The ties were not painful. Then they blindfolded me and took me to a jeep where I sat on the floor.

 

The jeep drove for about an hour before stopping at a military base which I think was inside Israel. I was taken to a shipping container and a doctor removed the blindfold and asked me some questions about my health. I was blindfolded again and taken to a room where I sat on a chair. I fell asleep and woke up at around 7:00 a.m. I was tied and blindfolded the whole time.

 

At around 7:00 a.m. I was put back in a jeep where I sat on the floor. The jeep drove for about an hour to the police station inside the settlement of Kiryat Arba. I was immediately taken for interrogation.

 

The interrogator wore civilian clothes. He removed the blindfold but kept me tied. He asked me whether I wanted a lawyer and I told him I did. He called a lawyer and allowed me to speak to him. The lawyer told me not to be scared and advised me to remain silent and not to confess to anything. The interrogator did not inform me of my right to silence. The interrogator tried to call my father but there was no answer.

 

He then accused me of throwing stones at soldiers. He told me there were confessions against me. He also accused me of taking part in protests in the village. At first I denied the accusations but I later confessed because this was the first time for me to be arrested. The interrogation lasted for about six hours and was conducted in two stages. During the first four hours the interrogation was focused on me. When I confessed the interrogator brought me some food and then started to question me about other boys from the village. He asked general questions about the protests in the village and the people who throw stones. I told him I didn’t know anything. He wanted me to testify against other boys but I refused.

 

He then printed out my statement in Hebrew and asked me to sign it and I did without understanding what it said. He then took my photograph and my fingerprints and then blindfolded me again. I was then taken to a military jeep where I sat on the metal floor. The jeep drove for about an hour to Ofer prison, near Jerusalem. At Ofer I was strip searched and then taken to the juvenile section.

 

Four days later I was taken to the military court at Ofer. My father was in court and a lawyer. I was allowed to speak to my father. I did not understand what went on in court and nobody bothered to explain to me. The hearing was adjourned.

 

I had four more military court hearings. At the second last court hearing the interrogator who interrogated me in Kiryat Arba took me to a room with a glass partition and started to question me again for about 30 minutes. He recorded the interrogation and accused me of throwing stones. This time I did not confess.

 

At the last hearing the court decided to release me on bail. The following day my father paid NIS 1,000 and I was released. My father was waiting for me. I was released at around 11:00 p.m. on 15 February 2016, and I arrived home with my father at around 1:00 a.m.