The soldier put his foot on my head
Akiva Eldar
Haaretz, January 13, 2004
Ibrahim Salama, who is entrusted by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to handle refugee camp issues and who has been active in peace initiatives such as the Peoples' Voice (sponsored by Sari Nusseibeh and Ami Ayalon), was set to depart for Cairo last week. He prepared to travel with Bashir Nafa, another participant in hudna (cease-fire) talks, for another round of discussions about a possible truce.
Shortly before his departure, on Tuesday night at 10 P.M., a dozen Border Police vehicles surrounded Salama's house in the village of Anata, north of Jerusalem.
Salama described ensuing events that night to MK Ran Cohen (Meretz). The following is a summary of that description, based on a letter that Cohen sent to Police Commissioner Shlomo Aharonishki, and to the police unit that investigates policeman.
"A group of policemen, some in plain clothes, others in uniform and some masked, barged into the house. They pulled me over, pushed my face to the floor, and put on handcuffs. The policemen hit me in the back; and an officer put his foot on my head. He demanded that I bring him the pistol I possess, and threatened to humiliate my family members and tear apart the house. I answered him that I have no pistol; he hit me. Six masked Border Policemen went upstairs, and woke up the children. They beat me on the stairs, in front of them; my wife started to yell, and she said that I'm a man of peace. A plainclothes policeman yelled at her, `Shut up, or I'll screw you.' Another policeman pushed her.
"They broke a cabinet in [my] bedroom, and they found some notes - on one there was a list of names and signatures. I told them that this was a list of people who had signed a petition against suicide attacks, which Dr. Sari Nusseibeh sponsored. The officer told me: `You, Nusseibeh and Ayalon can stick it up my ass,' and he hit me.
"After they turned the house upside down, without finding anything, they brought me outside, and looked for explosives in the car. They didn't find anything there as well. Then they took me to a jeep; and two Border Policemen sat next to me, and started to beat me. The policeman who sat next to the driver said to the one who was next to me, whose name, I think, was Oren, `Fart on his face.' The policeman sat on my head, and carried out the order.
"In the police station at the Russian Compound, I was brought to an interrogator who claimed that my car is stolen. I gave him the name of the person from whom I purchased the car, along with his telephone number and that of a witness to the purchase. He refused to call them, and announced that I was to be detained for 24 hours. En route to the detention center at Beit Shemesh, policemen hit me. Since then, I have suffered from pains in the back, and knees."
Wednesday afternoon, Salama was released on bail and traveled with Nafa to the Allenby Bridge, hoping to make it to the hudna talks. Nafa was informed at the bridge that orders in effect since 1995 prevent him from crossing over. His reply that he's crossed the bridge countless times since 1995 were to no avail; similarly futile was Salama's and Nafa's argument that they were headed to talks whose purpose is to bring terror attacks against Israelis to an end. They were not allowed to cross the bridge.
Salama returned home to clean up the wreck left by the Border Police. He has taken his son, Salam, to psychological counseling - the boy, whose name means peace, is afraid to sleep at night.
Salama says that this ordeal will not curtail his efforts on behalf of peace.
The Jerusalem District Police spokesman says in response that the head of a car theft ring who was apprehended recently said that he sold a stolen car to Salama. As to Salama's allegations of abuse, the spokesman recommends that he turn to the police department which fields complaints about police behavior.
