Palestinians who come from the Souq need to go through a gate that is controlled electronically.
Today, one of the Border Police officers manning it, for whatever reason, decided to make this a difficult and humiliating ordeal for a Palestinian.
A man, his wife, and his mother were going to the mosque to pray.
The Border Police officer controlling the gate let the man's wife through.
When it was the man's turn, he closed the gate, and told the guy he will not get through. No reason was provided. The man unbuckled and took off his belt and showed he was unarmed, but the officer didn't care. The man then got upset and began yelling at the officer, who just ignored him and told him he will not be letting him through. Then he refused to open the gate that would let the man leave, effectively leaving him trapped between two gates.
Exasperated, the Palestinian man climbed the over gate and started his way back home. The soldiers threatened to chase him and he ran. His wife went back with him.
What security or moral purpose can be achieved by denying a man the right to go to his place of worship, and humiliating him in front of everyone else? He was not trying to start a fight, he was trying to go and pray, along with his wife and mother.
There was no reason for such behaviour on the part of the soldier, other than a cruel display of power. Sadly, these types of things happen again and again in this city.
Another aspect of the reality faced by the Palestinians living under Israeli military rule.
We saw a group of Palestinians and TIPH (Temporary International Presence in Hebron) gathered around the gate that leads from the Old City to the Ibrahimi Mosque, so we knew something was wrong.
As his mother (in grey hijab) watches, her son tries to plead with the Border Police officer manning the gate for the permission to go the mosque to pray.
The man takes off his belt to show to the Border Police officer that he is unarmed.
Trying to plead with the soldiers for permission to go to pray.
After several minutes of fruitless begging, the man tried to exit but saw this gate was locked also. He then climbed over the fence.
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