CPTnet
16 September 2006

HEBRON: Nighttime round-up of Palestinian men

by Christina Gibb

CPT Hebron received a telephone call at 10:00 p.m. on 13 September, saying
that soldiers were holding a dozen men near the Hebron Rehabilitation
Committee (HRC) in the Old City. Team members also saw that soldiers were
entering a house near the team's apartment. Four team members, with a
visiting photographer, went to investigate.

Christina Gibb, Cynthia Burnside and the photographer went to the
neighbours, while John Lynes and Char Smith went to the HRC.

Israeli soldiers had just brought four men out of the neighbours' house, and
took them along the street towards the Ibrahimi Mosque, with the CPTers
following. They passed some men sitting on the ground, guarded by soldiers,
and then were joined by another squad of soldiers bringing five more men.
The soldiers took them all through the turnstiles checkpoint, into the open
space by the Mosque, where forty Palestinian men were already sitting on the
ground. Each squad of six to ten soldiers turned back for a further search
as soon as they had brought one lot of men in. By the Mosque, the soldiers
took each man in turn and photographed him holding a sign with his name or
ID number. They then took his fingerprints, and directed him past a barrier
to another area. After a short time, the officer in charge first ordered and
then pushed the CPTers back through the turnstile, where they stayed by the
Mosque Gate.

Meanwhile Lynes and Smith had found a group of detained men at the HRC, whom
soldiers soon moved to the Mosque too. The CPTers followed a squad of
soldiers who were systemically banging on all the doors with their rifle
butts. One carried a large sledgehammer for forcing the doors if families
did not open them. Lynes stayed in the alleyway, while Smith went into
several houses with the soldiers. They not only searched every room for men
between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five but also burst into a room
where seven young children were asleep. One soldier pointed his gun at them,
but when Smith remonstrated with him he stopped doing so. The mother thanked
her profusely.

By 11.30 p.m. there were ninety Palestinian men by the Mosque, and the
soldiers returned empty handed. The last man brought in had his hands
cuffed, and then his wife arrived, with a very frightened small girl. She
complained angrily to an officer that a soldier had stolen money and a
necklace.

At midnight, the soldiers started releasing the men one at a time back
through the turnstiles. The last was released by 1:30 a.m.