CPTnet
November 24, 2004

HEBRON: Detained in solidarity

by Joe Carr

On November 14, I was heading out of the Old City of Al Khalil (Hebron) for
Al Quds (Jerusalem) when a soldier stopped me. It was actually the same
Russian woman who was involved in my prior arrest; she smiled at me, asked
if I remembered her, and then demanded my passport. Apparently the rumor was
going around that I had been deported for terrorist activity after my
arrest, so she was probably surprised to see me.

CPTers have grown accustomed to just breezing through the Beit Romano
checkpoint in the Old City where we live. We pass through it regularly and
usually without question. Some Palestinians who live in the area also have
this privilege once the soldiers recognize them, however they are sometimes
subject to detention and harassment. When the solider took my passport and
ordered me to sit on the curb, I thought of the dozens of Palestinians I see
detained here daily, and I sat down without argument.

It was annoying to have my trip delayed, but I was glad to have a better
understanding of what Palestinians go through every day, and I remembered
how much better my worst-case scenario would be if the detention ended in
arrest. The two CPTers I was with observed the situation and I felt even
safer. I looked around for a stray cat to play with, but none were near. I
was isolated, sitting on a hard curb, at the mercy of soldiers younger than
me. This is solidarity.

The Israeli police arrived within five minutes of the soldier's call. When
was the last time you called the police and they came within five minutes? I
was glad to see a significant amount of Palestinians were passing by
unhindered while the soldiers and police argued about what to do with me. I
figure the police negated the rumor that I'd been deported, and refused to
arrest me since they had no grounds, not even dubious ones. My passport was
returned and I was released; it all took a little over a half hour.

As I sat there in the last few minutes of my detention, I noticed two small
Palestinian boys fighting near by. One was hitting the other with a stick,
and an older boy came and pushed them apart, took away the stick and broke
it, scolding the boys for their behavior. Grassroots violence de-escalation
I thought. I truly do have a lot to learn from the Palestinians. I may as
well be treated like one.