I was shopping in the market when an Israel soldier called me over to him. It was around 5:00 p.m. There were clashes in the area at the time. Suddenly about 10 soldiers approached me and one of them handcuffed me to the front with metal handcuffs. They were tight and painful. I was also blindfolded. Then I was put in a military vehicle and taken to the settlement of Kiryat Arba. 

 

When we arrived at the settlement there were lots of Jewish people staring at me. I was taken to a room where I was left until around noon the following day. I was not given any food or drink and I did not have access to a toilet.

 

At around noon the following day I was taken somewhere else for interrogation. Before taking me to the interrogation room a soldier removed the handcuffs and the blindfold. The interrogator was in civilian clothes and had a voice recorder on his desk. He called a lawyer and allowed me to speak to him before questioning me. The lawyer tried to calm me down and told me there was nothing to be afraid of and told me to take care of myself. The interrogator was listening to the conversation which was less than two minutes.

 

The interrogator did not inform me of my right to silence. He accused me of attempting to stab a soldier. I denied the accusation. The interrogator was calm. He questioned me for about 15 minutes and asked me to sign a document in Hebrew which I signed.

 

The following day I had another interrogation. The interrogator had a camera in the room and he allowed me to speak to a lawyer but did not inform me of my right to silence. He questioned me for about 20 minutes and accused me of the same accusation. At the end he asked me to sign a document in Hebrew which I signed.

After the interrogation I was taken to Hasharon prison, inside Israel, where I was strip searched. While there I had three more interrogations. Each time I spoke to a lawyer but I was never informed of my right to silence. Each time I signed documents in Hebrew.

 

My first military court hearing was after the first interrogation. I was taken to Ofer military court, near Jerusalem. My parents were there. The military judge extended my detention. I had about 10 hearings. At the last one, which was about four months before I was released, I was sentenced in a plea bargain to six months in prison and fined NIS 2,500. I also received a suspended sentence valid for five years. 

 

After spending two weeks at Hasharon I was transferred to Damoun prison, also in Israel. My parents visited me twice and I was allowed to call them for a total of one hour divided over five days.

 

I was released at Salm checkpoint on 9 April 2023. My parents and brothers were there to meet me. I arrived home in the evening. 

 

In prison I walked in the courtyard and I read and watched television. I also attended classes in Arabic, Hebrew and mathematics. The lessons were useless; they were appropriate for first graders, but not for a 17-year-old. After I was released I sat for my high school final exams and I am hoping to get a good average. I want to get a driving license and to go to university. I would like to become a school teacher for young children.