ISRAELI OCCUPATION FORCES STORM HEBRON COLLEGE AND ARREST EIGHT STUDENTS

Photo 1 & 2: the new college expansion facing the threat of demolition - Photos courtesy of LRC

Academic Freedom - Israeli Style
You won't find defenders of 'academic freedom' such as Engage taking up issues such as the attack in Hebron on a Palestinian college. Academic freedom is only for the settler society, not the colonised. Such is the hypocrisy of those such as Goldsmith lecturer, David Hirsh, whose hypocrisy is such that his fellow academic colleagues refused to elect him to the UCU National Council.

Tony Greenstein

On the 30th October 2008, at 10:15 a.m. the Israeli army stormed the faculty of the Palestine Technical College in Aroub Refugee Camp, Hebron and arrested students from some of the classrooms. The students were blindfolded, shackled and then repeatedly beaten, slapped and punched all over the body. They were then taken to Gush Etzion military detention centre. At 9:00 pm two of the boys were released, however, eight of them are still in detention. None of the boys are older than 16. Hatem is a teacher in the Palestine Technical College. He states that on the 30th October 2008 at approximately 10:15 a.m. the Israeli Occupation Forces arrived at the college in four military jeeps. Hatem was the only teacher present in the playground area at that time. One of the soldiers shouted at him, 'there are the boys that threw stones' .

Hatem told the soldier that the typical school day is from 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. so all of the children were inside their classes. The soldier then pushed Hatem to the ground and ordered the other soldiers to search the college. Around ten soldiers entered the college. They kicked the doors and entered the classrooms where the children were taking their practical classes. They closed the door and one of the soldiers started beating a physically disabled student that was sitting in the first row. The soldiers started yelling at the boys and then pushed one of the students, MD. One of the soldiers grabbed MD and shouted, 'You are the boy that threw the stones'. MD was arrested along with six other boys. The soldiers subsequently entered the other classrooms and began randomly arresting students. They specifically targeted those who were wearing black jackets. The soldiers then took all of the boys to the playground area and prevented the teachers from talking with the students. The soldiers subsequently started to beat one of the students, RB by slapping his face and kicking him on his head. Hatem tried to help him, however, the soldiers threatened to open fire. They then fired stun grenades and live bullets into the playground area. The soldiers continued to beat some of the other detained students. Hatem states that he could hear the students screaming from the beatings, however, he was prevented from doing anything to help them. The director of the college called an ambulance; however, it was delayed due to the soldiers blocking the entrance of the Camp. The soldiers then blindfolded and shackled 19 students and forced them to sit at the base of the military tower at the entrance of the Refugee Camp. After fifteen minutes the soldiers released nine students.

Testimony from 16 year old student taken by Addameer Attorney Firas Sabbah on November 3rd 2008 at Gush Etzion Military Detention Centre.

My name is RB. I was born on the 26th of October 1992. Iג€™m a 10th grade student at the Palestine Technical College where I study agriculture. On the 30th October 2008, as usual I went to school. I was supposed to have an exam that day. At around 10:30 I was terrified when I saw soldiers entering the classroom. They started randomly arresting my classmates. Then the soldier told me to get out of the class. I was taken to the playground area of the school. When the soldier saw me looking at him he grabbed my head and slapped me on the face. He told me to keep my face to the ground. After that he made all of us stand in one row and we were forced to walk one after the other towards the military tower. I lost my place in the row and the soldier hit me on my legs and kicked me. Another soldier beat me until we reached the gate of the Refugee Camp. After that, the soldier laughed in my face and when I looked back he slapped me and beat me so hard on the chest that I felt it was difficult to breathe. I fell to the ground where I continued to be beaten. After about three hours I was blindfolded and shackled and pushed into the military jeep. My blindfold slipped in the process of getting into the jeep so I was beaten again.

The Court Hearing

On November 6, 2008, the eight children were brought to Ofer military court. They had been detained for eight days until they were brought before the court . All boys were charged with throwing stones despite the fact that the evidence is built upon the testimonies of only three soldiers. In this initial hearing, the boysג€™ detention was extended until November 11th 2008. In their defence Addameer Attorney Mahmoud Hassan argued that these children are being detained with adults in an adult facility which is in total violation of international law. On the 28th October, 2008, Adv Hassan used this similar argument to secure the release of two 14 year old boys who were arrested from their homes in Beit Ummar on the 9th October 2008. Each boy was released with a bail of 8,000 NIS (Approx $2,111). Indeed according to Addameer's experience, this is the first time that a military judge has agreed to release children under the pretense that it is illegal for them to be detained with adults. On this occasion, however, the military judge rejected Adv. Hassan's argument and ordered that the boys be detained until the end of trial. Adv. Hassan appealed this decision and called for the boys to be released on bail. The result of this latest appeal will be heard in Ofer Military Court on November 20th, 2008. On December 14th, 2008 the Court will commence with a hearing from the witnesses.

Addameer Statement

Addameer strongly condemns the collective punishment of these school boys and their continued detention without sufficient evidence. The Convention on the Rights of the Child sets up universally recognised principles and norms as minimal standards for children's rights. One fundamental principle of sentencing is that the deprivation of liberty, if used at all, should only be used as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time (Art. 37 (b), CRC). Clearly this is not the case for these eight boys. It should be emphasized that, in accordance with the Convention, every Child without exception whatsoever, has the right to benefit from these standards. According to Israeli military order 132, Palestinian children age 16 and older are treated as adults and are tried and sentenced by Israeli military courts as adults. Israeli military orders are applied to Palestinian children, even as juvenile legislation defines Israeli children as age 18 or younger. Addameer urges the international community to demand that Israel abide by international law and and treat those under the age of 18 as children. In addition Addameer calls on the international community to insist that the Israeli occupation forces stop at once further arrests of Palestinian juveniles in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

See also an article on how the Israeli military is trying to demolish new buildings that have been constructed on the campus of the Palestine Technical College in Hebron.