I was arrested at the entrance to Beit Fajjar at around 7:30 p.m. while taking part in a protest. Some soldiers chased us and I was caught. They immediately blindfolded me and tied my hands to the back with one plastic tie which was tight. Then they pushed me to the ground and left me there for about 15 minutes.

 

After about 15 minutes I was pushed into the back of a military jeep and made me sit on the floor. The jeep drove for about 10 minutes to the police station in Etzion settlement. On arrival at Etzion I was taken to a room full of soldiers. The soldiers tied me to a chair by my hands and legs. I could not sleep because the soldiers were loud and noisy.

 

The following morning I was taken to see a doctor who removed the blindfold and the tie and examined me. He re-tied and blindfolded me again when he was done. At around 9:00 a.m. I was taken for interrogation.

 

The interrogator removed the blindfold but kept me tied. He immediately started shout at me asking me what I was doing in the area and why did the soldiers arrest me. I told him I didn’t do anything wrong. He then told me if I did not confess he was going to order the demolition of my family house. He then accused me of firing a pipe bomb at the nearby settlement and of manufacturing and possessing weapons. He interrogated me for about an hour. During this time he threatened to punish me if I did not confess. At one point he held me from the head and shook me hard and lifted me up and down saying I better confess "or else".

 

The interrogator then took me to a courtyard and made me sit on the ground until around 1:00 p.m. I was tied and blindfolded during this time. Then soldiers took me to see another interrogator who accused me of the same accusations and hit me on the head and shouted at me. The second interrogator questioned me for about two hours. In the end I confessed to throwing stones at soldiers. I confessed because I was beaten very hard.

 

The second interrogator showed me pictures of other boys from the village and wanted me to confess against them. I told him I did not know any of the boys. After the second interrogation I was taken back to the courtyard and made me sit on the ground. I sat there until around 7:00 p.m.

 

Then I was interrogated for a third time. By then it was dark outside. The interrogator repeated the question about manufacturing and possessing weapons. I told him I had no idea what he was talking about. He then printed out my statement in Hebrew and asked me to sign it and I did without understanding what it said. Only then was I informed of my right to remain silent and my right to consult with a lawyer. He also phoned my parents and asked them to appoint a lawyer for me. Then I was photographed, fingerprinted and strip searched and taken to a cell where the tie and the blindfold were removed.

 

While in the cell a lawyer visited me but he did not say much. I spent the night at Etzion. The following day, at around 9:00 a.m, I was taken to Ofer prison, near Jerusalem, where I was strip searched and taken to Section 13. The next day I had a military court hearing which my parents and my lawyer attended and I was allowed to speak to them. I had more than 10 military court hearings.

 

At the last hearing I accepted a plea bargain in which I confessed to throwing stones and of possessing a pipe bomb and in return I was sentenced to eight months in prison and given a suspended sentence of six months valid for three years. I was able to reduce my sentence by four months by paying NIS 4,000.

 

I spent my entire prison sentence at Ofer. I did not study or read. I was released from Ofer on 7 April 2017, at around 6:00 p.m. I was released about 2 weeks early for good conduct. I went home with my parents.