“I have spent six years in Israeli prisons and now I’m on probation. I was
arrested three times; twice before I got married, and once (recently) after I got
married. I have three children.
The last time I was arrested, I really didn’t expect it. Before they arrested
me, the Israeli commander of Hebron called my husband and told him that he
wanted us to go and see him. We didn’t go because I was with my daughter
in the hospital. A few days after the call, I was on my way to the hospital in
Bethlehem when Israeli soldiers stopped me at the entrance of Bethlehem.
They asked me to show them my ID, and then they ordered me to step out
of the car. I was surprised because I didn’t expect that the situation was so
serious. My mother was in the car with me, so they made her step out of the
car too and they took photos of her carrying my daughter, as well as taking
photos of me carrying my daughter too. Then, the commander arrested me and
forced me to give my daughter to my mother. I refused to leave my daughter,
so they stopped all the cars entering and exiting Bethlehem, which caused a
huge traffic jam, until an Israeli military jeep with special unit forces arrived. I
realized at that moment that the situation was very dangerous for my daughter,
so I surrendered and I gave her to my mother. They handcuffed me and took
me to a military base in Beit Jala [Bethlehem]. They were very cruel to me
and tried to humiliate me. After two hours, the commander of Hebron called a
soldier. The soldier told me that there was someone on the phone who wanted
to talk to me, and that I should reply politely to him. He told me: “You see,
this is what happens to those who ignore my orders.” I told him that I wasn’t
ignoring his orders but that I was very busy with my daughter who spent all
the week in the hospital. After the phone conversation, they took me directly
to the prison without any interrogation, so I realized that it was administrative
detention.
When I went to court after 14 days, I asked the judge to allow me to bring my
daughter to stay with me in the prison. The judge replied: “Didn’t they tell
you?” “Tell me what?” I asked her. “Tell you that I will release you” she said.
I remained silent. “Aren’t you happy to go back home?” she asked. I said that
I didn’t do anything to deserve being imprisoned and that it was my right to
go back home. She didn’t seem pleased with my answer and said that I would
be released on her terms. She decided that I would be conditionally released:
she’d let me out on bail if I paid 5000 shekels [USD1300], I’d be on probation
until my next trial and I should go the police station in Kiryat Arba [Israeli
colony in Hebron]once a week to sign my attendance. She also told me that
if I violated the court’s conditions, I would be penalized. Currently, I’m not
allowed to leave the region of Yatta at all. If any Israeli soldiers saw me outside
Yatta, I would be immediately sentenced to one and half year imprisonment.
I’m only allowed to go to Hebron to the police station once a week to sign a
paper as the judge decided.
I’ve been very depressed recently. I think of my family, children and the court.
I can’t stop thinking of what will happen to my children if I get arrested again.
I’m trying so hard to finish this case as soon as possible, but I just can’t. The
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