CPTnet
9 July 2007
HEBRON: "They will go when I say they can go."

by Jan Benvie

Friday noon prayers (Jumu'ah) are particularly important for Muslims, and
many hundreds attend the Ibrahimi Mosque at noon prayer time. The Israeli
military often detains Muslim worshippers for long periods before, during
and after noon prayers so CPTers monitor the mosque checkpoint every Friday
at this time.

On a recent Friday, as usual, the Israeli military took IDs from many
Palestinians as they entered the mosque at around noon. I did not observe
the military making any calls on their radios to check the IDs during
prayers. When the Palestinian men came out of the mosque at 1:15pm, the
Israeli military ordered approximately 100 of them to stand and wait for
their IDs.

As we waited, a Palestinian man told me "They don't want peace," indicating
the Border Police at the checkpoint. Over the next few hours, as I observed
the behavior of the Israeli military, his words echoed in my head.

At about 1:45 p.m., after waiting for half an hour, an elderly Palestinian
man asked the Israelis why they were not returning his ID. A Border
Policeman laughingly said "Perhaps the computer is broken," and the small
group of Border Police beside him laughed too.

I approached the checkpoint and asked a different Border Policeman why they
had not checked the IDs while the men were in the mosque. He simply
shrugged his shoulders and said "I am checking them now."

At 1:50 p.m., it appeared that the Israeli military were ready to return the
IDs to the waiting Palestinians. The crowd surged forward in anticipation,
but only a few men received their IDs, enabling them to leave. The Israeli
military personnel returned to the shade of the checkpoint where they stood
laughing, smoking and drinking water. They commanded the Palestinians to
return to an area opposite the checkpoint where there was little shade from
the 85°-90°F heat.

By 2:20 p.m., the Israeli radios were silent. The soldiers were standing,
smoking and laughing, flicking through the Palestinian IDs. I again
approached the checkpoint. A Palestinian woman followed me, anxious to know
when her husband could return home with her. I politely informed the
Israeli Border Policeman that the Palestinians had been waiting for an hour
and were eager to return to their homes. He retorted, "I know it's an hour.
They will go when I say they can go." He then shouted something at the
Palestinian woman.

Eventually, at 2:50 p.m., the Israeli military returned all but one of the
IDs. I watched the elderly Palestinian man finally receive his ID and
slowly make his way towards his home. I saw the Palestinian woman and her
husband hurriedly go on their way. I remained with an eighteen-year-old man
whom soldiers forced to wait for another 45 minutes before they returned his
ID.