A group of soldiers were going through the market in the morning, interrogating Palestinian kids. Last night, a boy wearing a green shirt ran up to the army base near the Yellow Gate (Bab El Baladiya), and threw a rock before running off. We know he was wearing a green shirt because one of the soldiers showed one of our members a grainy video on his phone.
They talked to every kid in a white shirt, demanding if they know who did it. Fortunately, none of the kids was arrested but the intimidation certainly was there.
Later this evening, another one of my contacts, and a good friend, called us again and said the soldiers were stopping kids by his shop and pulled a kid out of his home and were about to take him to the base. Our friend intervened, saying the boy was in the neighbourhood all of last night, and throwing a rock from where he was spending the night to the checkpoint is physically impossible because of the distance. One of the commanders tried to prove him wrong and threw a rock from that location, which failed to hit the checkpoint. If a grown man was unable to do so, how they expected such a feat from a small boy is really beyond me.
Fortunately after that failed attempt, the soldiers went back and let the kid go.
On our way back, we saw another group of soldiers, returning from a patrol in H1, the Palestinian Authority administered part of Hebron. According to the agreement that exists, their presence there is illegal.
An interesting day, but a bit worrying since for the last few weeks they soldiers had been absent from the Souq for the most part. They seem to be going back to their old habits of harassing the people who are there.
The soldiers who were interrogating kids in white shirts this morning, to figure out which kid in a green shirt threw a rock at the military base last night, leave to their base.
Israeli soldiers finishing a patrol in H1, where they should not be under the agreement since it is administered by the PA. Checkpoint 56 (through which they are crossing) leads into H2.
Palestinians today had to stand there for almost an hour, as soldiers intentionally delayed them from going to their homes. Each person had to present a number, only those with numbers were allowed. The process was very slow, unlike at other times. The numbers requirement is enforced and lifted randomly. The purpose seems to be harassment more than anything else.
