Mahmoud Dar’awi, 40

I live with my family in Nu’man. For quite a while I have not been working because I don’t have a permit to enter Israel. My children study in al-Khas, as do all the children from the village. They have to walk three kilometers in each direction and are checked by security forces every morning and evening.

On Sunday, 6 January, I left my house in the morning and went to my farmland north of the village. Around 10:00 A.M., I was plowing the field with a horse-drawn plow. Children from the village came and told me that police officers were detaining my twelve-year-old son Ahmad. I rode my horse to the center of the village, near my uncle’s house, Ibrahim abu-Sita.

I saw a Toyota car, belonging to the Border Police, alongside the road. The rear compartment was closed. There were two Border Police officers and a few women from the village standing there. I went over to the vehicle and saw Ahmad sitting in the back. He was shouting and crying.

I opened the door and he came out and stood next to me. The two policemen came over to me. One of them was tall, had a light-complexion, and was heavyset. The other was short and dark-skinned. He was an Arab. He demanded my ID card. He pushed me with force, swore at me in Hebrew "Son of a bitch" and told me, in Arabic, “get out of here.” I told him that the boy was my son, and that if he wants something from me, that he take me instead of him. I asked him, “Would you want your son to be in this kind of situation?” He replied, “We are the army, and he is safe in our hands.” He pushed me and said, “Get out of here, and don’t stand by the auto.” I got mad and swore at him, “Ina'al Dinac (a curse on your father).” He responded: “I’ll show you. Wait.”

Within less than two minutes a Border Police jeep pulled up. The policeman who pushed me and took my ID card put me in the jeep. Two Border Police officers were in the jeep. It drove toward the checkpoint at the entrance to the village. When we got there, the two policemen asked me get out and sit outside. More than an hour later, the vehicle that earlier was by my uncle’s house arrived along with another Toyota vehicle, a Border Police jeep, and a white jeep.

A bit later, all the vehicles left except for the Border Police vehicle that had earlier been in the village. The dark-skinned policeman got out of the vehicle. He asked one of the soldiers at the checkpoint to give him the key to the room at the checkpoint. The soldier said he didn't have a key. He ordered me to get into the Toyota. He got into the front seat. The tall policeman drove, heading toward Jerusalem. The short policeman said, “You are a criminal and now I am going to show what criminality really is.” I thought he wanted to arrest me. The vehicle turned from the main road, went into the tunnel leading to Zur Baher, and stopped in the middle of the tunnel. The driver got out, walked to the end of the tunnel, and stood there.  

The short policeman opened the door and ordered me to get out. I refused. “What do you want to do?” I asked. “You want to kill me? Take me to jail if I did something wrong.” He replied, “I am an Arab and use force to get what I am entitled to.” He punched me hard in the face. He hit me in the stomach. He beat me for about five minutes. The pain was so great that I thought my stomach was going to burst.  He swore at me and said, “How do you dare humiliate me in front of the women?” He struck me in the leg with the butt of his rifle. That hurt a lot. The other policeman came and asked him to get out of there. He stopped beating me. He got into the car, and it drove off. He told the other policeman, “I didn't repay him completely. Let’s beat him some more.” The other policeman didn't agree and continued driving toward Jerusalem. He said, “Let’s release him, it was enough.” The policeman who beat me to said, “Apologize and I’ll release you.” I said, “You want me to apologize for your beating me?” He insisted and threatened to take me to jail. I told him I was sorry.

He stopped the vehicle and told me to get out and return home by foot. He ordered me to go over the hill to get to the village and not to look back. I walked without looking back all the way to the village. I was exhausted. My stomach and head really hurt. When I got back I saw Ahmad was already at home.

Mahmud Ahmad Abu Sita Dar'awi, 40, married with four children, is a farmer and aresident of Nu'man village in East Jerusalem. His testimony was given to Kareem Jubran at the witness’s house on 8 January 2008.