Palestinian flag
Photo: AP
Soldiers break into our homes, Palestinians say
Eye witnesses report abuse by IDF troops in West Bank, including randomly breaking into homes with stun grenades, tearing down Palestinian flag and destroying property in local schools. IDF spokesperson's office denies all claims
Israel Defense Force soldiers smashed down doors, forcefully entered houses and harassed school children according to Palestinian eyewitnesses who spoke to Ynet.
Caught on Tape
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The Palestinians told Ynet that they saw soldiers throw stun grenades and smoke grenades at houses in the Qalqiya area, breaking doors down with hammers and entering by force, only to leave without making any arrests or taking anything.
"In the past few days they've done it at least twice and each time they break in to about 20 homes, smashing down the doors. If the resident offers to open the door himself they do not allow him and insist on breaking in on their own. Once they enter they put all the family members into one room and search the house before leaving," said Omar Shtaya, the local council head of Tal village.
Shtaya, whose own home was also broken into, said that "in none of the cases did the soldiers arrest anyone, which means that the Israelis probably have different intentions other than raiding and searching."
Palestinians reported that similar raids were taking place in Sarra village, also near Qalqilya. Mahmoud, a Sarra resident whose house was invaded, said, "A few days ago after 1 am we heard a strong pounding on the door. Before I could ask who was there, the soldiers had entered the house."
Saying that soldiers had also raided his neighbors' homes, Mahmoud added, "I think they are working on something and not just breaking into homes. I think they are training. In all these cases no arrests or confiscation of weapons or anything else was reported."
Destroying school property
Ynet received another report saying that IDF soldiers recently raided a school in the Nablus area, ordering teachers to bring down the Palestinian flag.Upon being refused, the soldiers reportedly took the flag down themselves.
Aisha Nuebi, the school's principal said, "After the seventh period, soldiers came and demanded the teachers take the flag off the roof. I told them that we could not bring it down ourselves and then the soldiers went up to the roof and took the flag down. On the way they destroyed locks to classrooms."
Nuebi added that this was not the first time soldiers demanded the Palestinian flag be taken down.
"Every time the soldiers came they asked us to take the flag down. The soldiers harassed our students, but the last time they entered by force and took the flag down."
Eye witnesses said that the soldiers also stepped on the flag, wiped their feet on it and then tore it.
In al Sawiya village, which is located between Nablus and Ramallah, soldiers reportedly broke into a local school and destroyed its water pipe. Mahmoud Abu Hassan, the local council head said that the school was left without water for six days.
"They don't stop harassing us, and I think they are provoking us on purpose," Abu Hassan said, adding that he contacted the District Coordination Office after the act but was told that the IDF would not send a representative to take his testimony.
The IDF spokesperson's office said in response to these complaints: "The population was not abused, no routes were closed and people in their homes were not disturbed.
"The exercises and their locations were approved by all the relevant bodies. As a rule, no contact was made with the population and everything was done according to procedure. No complaints on the matter were received at the District Coordination Office."
