Harassment of Palestinians at the Oranit terminal, 15.11.12

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Observers: 
Dalya Golomb
Nov-15-2012
|
Afternoon

 

Translator:  Charles K.

 

Report of a visit to the Egged terminal at Oranit, adjoining Highway 5 to Ariel.

 

In response to a request from S., and his pleas, I drove toward evening to the Oranit bus terminal where yesterday Palestinians were removed from buses, had their ID’s taken and were forced to walk 2 kilometers in the dark to the Azzun Atma checkpoint in order to get their ID’s back.  Harassment for harassment’s sake.

S. said that these incidents occurred Tuesday and Wednesday, and he thinks it will happen again Thursday (today).

I decided to drive there and arrive at the time it happened, between four and six in the afternoon, to see and to report.

I arrived at the terminal, approached Palestinians waiting for a bus.  I introduced myself as a member of Machsom Watch (they didn’t really know what that was).  I said that I was from “No to ‘l’hawages” [“No to the checkpoints], which they did understand.  And they told me what happened yesterday.

Here’s the story:  Policemen made all the Palestinians get off who’d arrived on buses number 286 to Ariel.  All had ID’s.

300 people were taken off the buses and forced to walk in the dark for two kilometers, from the terminal to the checkpoint.

They waited hours at the Azzun Atma checkpoint and arrived home late at night.  Among them were sick people, the elderly and children.

M. had been among them.  He’s from Kifl Hars.  I managed to get his telephone number and then a bus arrived and he got on.  He agreed to continue our conversation over the phone.

My feeling is that it was a private initiative by aggressive policemen.  Therefore  I think it’s necessary to file a complaint with the police so they find the policemen who were stationed there on November 13 and 14, and ensure that something like that doesn’t happen again.

 

My trip provided an opportunity to become acquainted with a lively bus station called “Oranit terminal.”  The riders include:  religious and secular Jews, Ethiopians, Arabs, soldiers – everyone.  And everything was quiet, “as if there’s no war at all” [H. Hefer].

 

I know that, given what’s going on today in Gaza, there’s no chance that anyone will care about this complaint of harassment, or that anyone will be willing to receive and respond to it.  But it should be submitted anyway!