Hebron Checkpoint
CPTnet 2 December 2011
A newsletter written by members of the Christian Peacemaker Teams.
On the night of 28 November, a Palestinian man threw two Molotov cocktails at the Israeli military checkpoint in Hebron’s Qitoun neighborhood. In response, the military and border police fired tear gas, entered houses in the neighborhood, and forced about fifty men to stand outside in the cold for almost exactly two hours while they checked their IDs. The military arrested one Palestinian man and detained three more after they allowed the residents of the neighborhood to return to their homes.
At about 10:20 p.m., soldiers came back from one of the houses with clothes that they claimed belonged to the man who threw the Molotov cocktails.
During the incident, Palestinians passing the checkpoint reported that soldiers were beating one of the detained men. Later on, other passersby reported that soldiers were sitting on a man on the ground.
At around 10:40 p.m., the commander declared a closed military zone and ordered internationals to leave the area, including three members of Temporary International Presence in Hebron.
Members of TIPH have a mandate from the Israeli, Palestinian, and European constituent governments to observe the military. When internationals asked the commander to show them the order, he said that he did not have to show it.
The military detained three members of International Solidarity Movement, but released them later.
Military actions that target groups of people in response to the actions of a few are illegal according to the Geneva Conventions.