'Azzun 'Atma, Thu 22.5.08, Afternoon

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Observers: 
Yifat D. Hagar L. Natanya translating.
May-22-2008
|
Afternoon

Azun Etma

Assoon as we arrived at the village one of the drivers takes us to the
checkpoint where there are more than 20 illegal workers who have been
detained and are therefore suspected by the army and have been detained
as they came back from work. 4 of them are handcuffed and sit separate
on the ground in the shaded area. Sergeant Y. (Yarden) is the
commander. Some minutes after we arrive he frees most of the detaineesinfo-icon
andunfastens handcuffs. One of the men has been there for 7 hours and his
"fault" is that he has two checks of an Israeli citizen for whom he had
evidently done work. While we were at the checkpoint the commander
manages to phone the Israeli citizen who says that the man has truly
done work for him. It is not clear what he is accused of. But any
soldier has the right to detain a man for 7 hours because he has checks
which are on his name. Another man is delayed because that found a head
covering in an army rucksack but he is freed while we are at the
checkpoint.

9.15

13 13cars in either direction. A man whose ID was taken from him on
Sunday next to Sawiya arrives to get it but it is not found and he is
given the number of Abas at the centre.

Cars
and pedestrians are checked steadily and in silence. The commander
allows us to take the names and numbers of the detainees who have been
there three hours already . She says that their numbers came up in the
list. We phone the centre and give them the numbers asking them to
check more quickly but they say it is up to the secret service. We do
not know if they were arrested for questioning later.

20.00
We leave and get a lift to the village and go to the home of H. who had
been wounded three weeks ago by soldiers at the checkpoint. As a result
he had to have treatment and there is a fear of brain damage. We came
to take the x-rays but he had not got them yet. We had coffee with the
family and enjoyed a break after some hours at the checkpoint. A cousin
takes us to the carpark.

Adescription of the attack on H. by the commander S. and two of his
soldiers will be in a report on violent episodes which have taken place
at Azun Etma in the last weeks.