Jarir Kanadilu, age 36, ambulance driver.

I live in Nablus and I have been working as an ambulance driver for the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees for the past year and a half.

On Tuesday 9 September 2003, around 11:00 AM., I received orders from headquarters to got to Al-Watani Hospital in Nablus in order to take two kidney patients from the hospital to the village of Huwwara. I left immediately with my colleague, Taher Husa. We picked up the two patients and drove to Huwwara village by way of the Huwwara checkpoint. When we reached the checkpoint, we were searched as usual and the soldiers allowed us to cross within five minutes. We drove the two patients to Huwwara and afterwards we drove back towards Nablus, the same way we had come.

When we got to the Huwwara checkpoint, where the road branches off to the army camp and the Israeli settlements of Itamar and Brachah, two soldiers called out at us to stop. Taher got out of the ambulance because he thought that they wanted to search the ambulance but the soldiers ordered him to get back in. Then, they opened the sliding side door of the ambulance, came inside, and pointed their weapons at our heads. After that, they ordered us to drive to the other end of the checkpoint, towards Nablus. I thought they would want to get out at the other end of the checkpoint but they ordered us to continue driving towards a few Palestinian taxis that were parked next to the checkpoint.

The soldiers talked to us in Hebrew.

I told them that it was illegal for them to do this, but they held their weapons to our heads and forced us to continue driving, while continuing to shout at us. I drove until we reached the parked taxis. The two soldiers got out of the ambulance and fired two shots in the air. When they got out, I continued driving towards Nablus, because I was afraid that the soldiers would want us to drive them back too. The soldiers began to chase after the taxi drivers, but because I drove away, I didn't see what happened to them afterwards. When I got back to our headquarters, I told my superiors about the event, so that it could be documented.

Jarir Zachariah Nadhami Kanadilu is 36 years old. He is married and the father of four children. Jarir works as an ambulance driver and is a resident of Nablus. The testimony was taken by Ali Daragmeh at the headquarters of the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees on 23 September 2003.