I had just finished school and was walking to buy some sweets on my way home when four Israeli soldiers approached me yelling in Hebrew for no reason. One of the soldiers grabbed me by the neck and banged my head against the wall. He said: “come here, you throw stones don’t you?” The soldiers took me to a waiting military jeep and pushed me into the back and made me sit on a seat.

 

Once inside the jeep another soldier grabbed me and pushed me down to the metal floor and kicked me. The jeep drove for about 15 minutes before stopping at the nearby Israeli military base. On arrival at the base the soldiers took me out of the jeep and pushed me against a wall, told me to lift my hands up and banged my head against the wall. I suffered a big bruise. Then I was taken somewhere else on the base. I lost my shoes on the way because of all the pushing. It was a cold rainy day.

 

I was taken inside a room where a soldier asked me if I throw stones. I told him I didn’t throw stones. Then he asked me whether I knew anyone who throws stones and I told him I didn’t. He didn’t tell me anything about my right to silence or my right to see a lawyer. This questioning lasted for about five minutes.

 

After being questioned a soldier searched me and another one asked me for my name. Then I was blindfolded and my hands painfully tied to the front with one plastic tie. I told the soldier the tie was painful but he told me to shut up. Then I was taken to another room. A short time later an interrogator came and asked me who throws stones at the soldiers.

 

The interrogator didn’t ask me whether I threw stones, he just wanted me to tell him about others. When I told him I didn’t know anyone who throws stones he got very angry and slapped me on the face. Then he repeated the same question. He told me I was a liar when again I told him I didn’t know anyone who throws stones. He told me I had five minutes to give him names of other boys and if I didn’t he was going to send me to prison. He also threatened to hit me hard and to electrocute me if I didn’t give him at least two names. He told me he was going to beat me and send me to Ofer prison. This lasted for about 20 minutes. Then I was taken to another room.

 

About 10 minutes later I was taken to see another interrogator. He immediately wanted me to tell him who throws stones. When I told him I didn’t know he slapped me on the face. He didn’t say anything about my right to silence or my right to see a lawyer.

 

Then I was taken to see a third interrogator. This one wanted me to tell him who throws stones in the nearby village of An Nabi Saleh. When I told him I didn’t know anyone from An Nabi Saleh he slapped me. He told me that people from my village coordinate with people from An Nabi Saleh. He wanted to know when was the last time I was in An Nabi Saleh. I told him I was there two months ago when I went to a wedding party. He asked me if anyone from An Nabi Saleh spoke about soldiers. I told him they only spoke about the party.

 

Then the interrogator asked me when the last time I was in the village of Deir Abu Mash’al. I told him it was a long time ago when I used to accompany my father who had a barber’s shop in the village. He wanted to know what people in the village talked to my father about while they had their hair cut. He asked me if people talked about the soldiers and when I told him they didn’t he slapped me and repeated the question again. Then he wanted to know who throws Molotov cocktails in Deir Abu Mish’al. I told him I didn’t know anyone from that village. Then he took me to a fourth interrogator, still within the same military base.

 

The fourth interrogator asked me the same questions. He slapped me twice. He wanted to know who the trouble makers are in Deir Nidham. He didn’t say anything about my right to silence or my right to see a lawyer. I was kept waiting in the room for a while. Then the interrogator asked me if I needed a blanket. I told him I needed a pair of socks because I lost my shoes on the way.

 

The interrogator showed me photos of people from An Nabi Saleh. I told him I didn’t know any of the people in the photos. Then I was taken in a jeep and dropped at Atara checkpoint at around midnight. I was released without charge. I waited for a short while before the Palestinian police arrived and took me home. I arrived home at around 12:30 a.m. It was a tough experience. I am now scared when I see soldiers in my village. I don’t want to go through the same experience ever again