On Monday evening, 23 May 2022, at around 8:00 P.M., several dozen Palestinians set out in a procession from Ibn Rushd Square in Hebron’s city center towards al-Haram al-Ibrahimi (the Tomb of the Patriarchs), to protest Israeli work under way to make the site entrance that serves Jewish worshippers more accessible. When the procession reached the al-Haram al-Ibrahimi Checkpoint, several protesters crossed it and then the police closed the checkpoint and did not allow other protesters through.
Saed Sidr (18) managed to cross the checkpoint, holding a Palestinian flag. Four police officers jumped him, tied his hands behind his back, dragged him aside and hit him. A few minutes later, they transferred him to one of the rooms at the checkpoint, threw him on the floor and continued beating him for about 10 minutes. Sidr blacked out and the officers left him lying on the floor. His father, ‘Abd al-Khaleq Sidr, was called to the spot by other protesters. He took his son to hospital, where Saed received first aid and was released around 3:00 A.M.
After the attack on Sidr, police officers at the checkpoint were documented confiscating Palestinian flags the protesters put up in the area.
In a testimony he gave B’Tselem field researcher Manal al-Ja’bari, Saed Sidr (18), a resident of Hebron’s city center, recounted his attack:
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Saed Sidr. Photo by Manal al-Ja’bari, B'Tselem
We gathered at Ibn Rushd Square and set out towards al-Haram al-Ibrahimi. We didn’t run into any trouble along the way. When we got to the turnstile at the checkpoint at the entrance to al-Haram, I went in with a few other protesters, and then the officers shut the gate and didn’t let the others through. As soon as I was through, four Border Police officers jumped me. One of them pushed me up against the fence, held me there, tied my hands behind my back and shouted right in my face. I didn’t resist or react in any way. I was afraid of their violence. They took me to a corner by the turnstile and hit me. The officer who handcuffed me butted me hard in the face with his metal helmet, and I felt that I was about to black out.
Then the officers took me to a room inside the checkpoint, threw me down on the floor, kicked me, and trod on my body and face. That lasted for about 10 minutes, until a Border Police commander I know called Ibrahim came and made them stop. Then I blacked out. I woke up about two hours later at the ‘Alia Governmental Hospital, with my father beside me. I was examined and they found bruises on my body, face and eyes. I was treated and released around 3:00 A.M. My body still hurts all over and my eyes are still swollen from the attack.
In a testimony he gave B’Tselem field researcher Manal al-Ja’bari, Saed’s father, ‘Abd al-Khaleq Sidr, described what happened that day:
At around 8:30 P.M., I was sent a photo on my phone of my son Saed lying inside the detention room at al-Haram al-Ibrahimi. I was told the Border Police beat him. I didn’t even know Saed was taking part in the march. I rushed over there. When I got to the main checkpoint, it was closed and people were waiting there because the Border Police wouldn’t let them through to reach al-Haram al-Ibrahimi and their homes. I shouted at the police officers standing behind the gate and demanded they let me see my son, but they told me to go away.
After I waited there for about half an hour, a commander arrived and introduced himself as Ibrahim. He asked who Saed’s father was, and I said was it was me. He said, “Why don’t you teach him not to cause trouble?” I replied that Saed hadn’t done anything and was only participating in the march. The officer took me into a room inside the checkpoint. When I went in, I saw Saed lying on the floor, unconscious. He had blood on his face and ears, bruises on his face, and his eyes were swollen. I tried to wake him up but I couldn’t.
Two young men who were there helped me carry him to my car. We called a Palestinian ambulance but the Red Crescent was on strike, so I took him to ‘Alia Governmental Hospital myself. Saed was given first aid and painkillers and released around 3:00 A.M. He told me that Border Police officers had given him a serious beating after he went through the turnstile holding a Palestinian flag.
