I was at school in Deir Nidham when I saw some Israeli soldiers outside. At around 10:30 a.m. some soldiers entered my classroom and took me and two of my friends outside. We were the only three boys in class, the rest were girls. They didn’t tell us why they were taking us. The teachers tried to intervene but the soldiers pushed them away. One teacher got hurt.

 

The soldiers hand tied me with one plastic tie behind my back which was very painful, and walked us towards a waiting military jeep. They made me sit on the floor of the jeep and then drove me to a nearby military base where we waited for about an hour-and-a-half. During this time I remained tied and sat on the ground. The soldiers also blindfolded me. I was then driven somewhere and asked some questions about my health. I remained tied but my blindfold was removed.

 

After my medical examination I was re-blindfolded and taken to Ofer prison, near Jerusalem. We did not get out of the jeep at Ofer, and we were then driven to the police station in Binyamin settlement. On arrival at the police station I was made to sit on the ground outside for about an hour, still tied and blindfolded. Then I was taken to see an interrogator.

 

The interrogator asked me whether I threw stones. I told him I didn’t. He wanted to know who did. The interrogator lied to me and told me that my friends had confessed against me and that he had already released them. He didn’t tell me about my right to silence and didn’t ask me if I wanted to speak to a lawyer. I was alone with the interrogator throughout the interrogation and I don’t know if it was recorded.

 

The interrogator asked me to confess and to apologize in order to be released. But I refused because I was only willing to tell the truth no matter what. I told him I didn’t do anything wrong and that I wasn’t going to confess or apologize for something I did not do. He got very angry and verbally abused me, calling me a dog. He also called my mother and sisters whores. Then he showed me some documents written in Hebrew and asked me to sign them, but I refused. He shouted at me when I refused to sign. Only then did he ask me for my father’s telephone number and whether I wanted to contact a lawyer. I told him I didn’t know my father’s number.

 

The interrogation ended and I was taken outside to the courtyard and made to sit on the ground, tied and blindfolded. Half-an-hour later my picture was taken and I was fingerprinted. I was then transferred to Ofer prison, near Jerusalem, handcuffed and blindfolded. I was with the other boys who were arrested with me.

 

On arrival at Ofer we were given prison uniforms and taken to a cell with boys our age. I spent one night in prison and was released the following evening. I never saw a lawyer and didn’t appear in court. I was released without charge and my parents were not asked to pay any money.