International Checkpoint Watch - Daily Observations

March 6, 2002

Mr. Ron Schlicher

Consul General

US Consulate

Jerusalem

Dear Mr. Schlicher:

Greetings.  I would like to share with you the events of yesterday, March 5, 2002 and the concerns I have which have to do with how your office handled them.  My general intention in being in Palestine and Israel are to better understand the conflict here from Palestinian and Israeli perspectives so to assist other Americans at home to understand this conflict better through my published writing and public speaking.  After hearing about the missile strikes in Nablus and the invasion of Balata refugee camp, I wished to see first hand the effects of these latest events there and I was put in contact with four people from the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), all of whom are US citizens, who were in Nablus at that time and could help facilitate my visit there.

Coming out of Nablus with the four people from ISM, on our way to return to Ramallah, Bethlehem and Jerusalem, for myself, our group had to walk approximately a two-kilometer span where the road was blocked off so that we could reach the next group of taxis.  As we were walking, an Israeli Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) with five soldiers drove up from a nearby camp and parked next to the road.  I immediately walked up to the nearest soldier, who I later discovered was the captain, and asked him what the latest events in the area were and I was curious why they were in Area A, an area under Palestinian control.  The captain immediately demanded to see my passport.  I inquired why and who he was.  He told me to shut up and to show him my passport, and again when I questioned him, he said that I would be arrested and told me to stand close to the APC, which I did.  I, and the people I was traveling with from the ISM, all began questioning the soldiers as to why I was being detained.  The people from ISM stated that the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) cannot arrest civilians and that they have no right to detain civilians without reason and that the police should be called if I was going to be arrested.  The captain said that he was calling the police to come arrest me, but that he was only going to make the call when he wanted to and gave no indication as to when that might be.  ISM volunteer, Sofia Ahmed, continued to question the soldier as to why I was being detained, he yelled at her to shut up and I witnessed Ms. Ahmed being physically shoved by the captain when she would not stop questioning him as to why I was being detained.  I also continued to ask why I was being detained and finally the captain gave his answer, “because I say so.”  That, of course, didn’t sit well with me or the people from ISM as Americans in general are not very agreeable to have our freedom be violated as it was in this instance.  I and my companions asked several more times if I was going to be arrested by the police, on what charge we couldn’t guess, the captain said on alternating sentences and was and wasn’t going to call the police and so we all finally got the idea that I was, without question, being detained for no reason other than the captain wanted to.  Further we realized that he had no intention of calling the police and having me arrested.  The three females of the ISM team came over to me at this point, locked their arms and we stated that since I was not being charged with anything, we were going to leave.  This upset the captain and he and another soldier used physical force to separate me from the others.  They then put me into the APC and closed the back hatch.  Two soldiers were inside the APC with me, one of which enjoyed pointing his gun at me.  I’ll say at this point that not once did I physically resist in any way or raise my voice at anyone involved in this incident. 

One of the soldiers, the one that was pointing his gun at me, told me that it was only himself, his fellow soldier and me in the APC and that he was going to use violence to take my passport if I did not give it to him.  At this time I think the captain realized that his rigid demand had escalated things to his detriment and he took the approach that if I only showed my passport all would be fine and I could go, coincidently none of the ISM team that was with me were asked to show their passports. 

My pride and stubbornness were inflamed and I respectfully said that I would not willingly give them my passport, but told them where it was and stated that I would not resist them taking it.  The soldier who had pointed his gun at me and threatened me now took off my Indiana University ball cap and pressed the barrel of his M-16 forcefully into my forehead, pushing my head against the side of the APC.  The other soldier then withdrew my passport, which was passed outside to the captain and returned to me in a few short moments.  I asked the soldiers for their names and ID numbers, but was not given this information.  I was then held for several hours inside the APC for no reason.  The captain again asked me to show him my passport.  I was truly confused and asked him if he had seen it when it was taken from me.  He did not answer and asked me again to show him my passport, so it became a game of wills and I knew that what he was doing was from the beginning illegal and disrespectful.  After another hour or more, the soldiers’ shift had finished and they drove the APC, with me still in it, into their base.  There the captain said that he had no jurisdiction to arrest me and that he had called the police who would be there in 30 minutes to arrest me and the four people from ISM if I did not show him my passport.  I was displeased by this whole experience and would have rather been arrested than to agree to the captain’s pointless demand.  An hour later the captain said, in a threatening way, that I better show him my passport because he had authority to use violence against me if I did not.  I was alone in the middle of 30 or so IDF soldiers in their camp; I nonetheless stated again that I would not resist him taking it and indicated where my passport was, but declined to freely give it to him.  He then told me to leave and I walked away from the base wondering what had just happened.

Now I wish to express my concerns with your office.  I understand that the team of people from ISM called your office on my behalf, asking your assistance in this matter.  They spoke with Ms. Victoria Coffineau, who I believe has possibly had a personal disagreement with a member of ISM in the past.  Because of that personal disagreement, I am told that Ms. Coffineau’s response to the call for help was met with hostility and total indifference.  It may surprise your office that this could be the case, given the seriousness of my situation.  Whatever Ms. Coffineau’s personal opinions of other people happen to be, her position demands professionalism and sincerity when it comes to representing US citizens in this area of conflict.  I request that you review your policies in protecting the rights of US citizens in the Occupied Territories.

Please correspond with me with anything that might pertain to my case.

Yours sincerely,

Bret Davis