AT-TUWANI BLOG: Intimidation, humiliation, and M-16s
May 18th, 2009
in:
CPTnet
18 May 2009
AT-TUWANI BLOG: Intimidation, humiliation, and M-16s
[Note: the following blog entry by Sam Nichols has been edited for length. People wishing to see the original may go to http://samuelnichols.blogspot.com/2009/04/temporary-victors-intimidation.html]
Wednesday, April 22, 2009 at 4:06am
The imbalance of power, the nonexistence of self-determination, and the injustice of the occupation slapped me in the face today. A car of young Palestinian men was passing through Tuwani, heading north to the city of Yatta, and were stopped by the Army. When we arrived on the scene, we learned that the soldiers had taken of the men's IDs and then we saw the soldiers attempting to drive away from the scene with the IDs. My teammate and I stepped in front on the vehicle to prevent the soldiers from leaving the scene with the IDs (Palestinians not carrying IDs are subject to arrest.)
After the arrival of additional army personnel, the soldiers started searching the car. At one point during the search, one of the young Palestinian men started to walk into the village (he had decided to visit his cousin who lives in At-Tuwani). One particularly aggressive soldier saw the young man walking up the hill and began to shout, running towards him with his M-16 pointed at the man's chest. Later in the search, the same soldier saw movement in the group of Palestinians, stepped towards the men, gun aimed, and started screaming in Hebrew. Apparently obeying the orders they were given, the men pulled down their pants to the ankles and lifted up their shirts. Seeing nothing suspicious or dangerous under the clothes, the soldier was satisfied and returned to searching the car.
Palestinians are often made to lift up their shirts at checkpoints to prove they are not carrying bombs or weapons. But this act of making young Palestinian men pull down their pants in the middle of the road, while [the soldiers] searched their car, is utterly dehumanizing.
After the car had been searched, the Palestinian tried to start it, to no avail. So the army hummer got behind the car and pushed it (bumper to bumper) two miles down the road, with one soldier inside the Palestinian car, steering. The owner of the vehicle was made to walk two miles to the base, to retrieve his ID and car.
I don't have any profound observations, just that these acts of humiliation and dehumanization are absurd. The M-16 seemed to have won today, which drives me crazy. I prayed today for the power of the high-powered automatic rifles to be overcome by the power of nonviolence.
18 May 2009
AT-TUWANI BLOG: Intimidation, humiliation, and M-16s
[Note: the following blog entry by Sam Nichols has been edited for length. People wishing to see the original may go to http://samuelnichols.blogspot.com/2009/04/temporary-victors-intimidation.html]
Wednesday, April 22, 2009 at 4:06am
The imbalance of power, the nonexistence of self-determination, and the injustice of the occupation slapped me in the face today. A car of young Palestinian men was passing through Tuwani, heading north to the city of Yatta, and were stopped by the Army. When we arrived on the scene, we learned that the soldiers had taken of the men's IDs and then we saw the soldiers attempting to drive away from the scene with the IDs. My teammate and I stepped in front on the vehicle to prevent the soldiers from leaving the scene with the IDs (Palestinians not carrying IDs are subject to arrest.)
After the arrival of additional army personnel, the soldiers started searching the car. At one point during the search, one of the young Palestinian men started to walk into the village (he had decided to visit his cousin who lives in At-Tuwani). One particularly aggressive soldier saw the young man walking up the hill and began to shout, running towards him with his M-16 pointed at the man's chest. Later in the search, the same soldier saw movement in the group of Palestinians, stepped towards the men, gun aimed, and started screaming in Hebrew. Apparently obeying the orders they were given, the men pulled down their pants to the ankles and lifted up their shirts. Seeing nothing suspicious or dangerous under the clothes, the soldier was satisfied and returned to searching the car.
Palestinians are often made to lift up their shirts at checkpoints to prove they are not carrying bombs or weapons. But this act of making young Palestinian men pull down their pants in the middle of the road, while [the soldiers] searched their car, is utterly dehumanizing.
After the car had been searched, the Palestinian tried to start it, to no avail. So the army hummer got behind the car and pushed it (bumper to bumper) two miles down the road, with one soldier inside the Palestinian car, steering. The owner of the vehicle was made to walk two miles to the base, to retrieve his ID and car.
I don't have any profound observations, just that these acts of humiliation and dehumanization are absurd. The M-16 seemed to have won today, which drives me crazy. I prayed today for the power of the high-powered automatic rifles to be overcome by the power of nonviolence.
