Monday, September 4

Border police in Jaffa

Jaffa, Yefet Street, early morning. Three border police soldiers patrol on foot. All three carry m-16 rifles, bullet-cartridge inside and ready for shooting.

Any young "Arab-looking" man is stopped and asked for his ID card. They are stopped one after the other and their details checked against those in the computer terminal in the close-by jeep.
If they don't carry papers, they are handcuffed, hands behind their backs, immediately. Sometimes the checks take time but each of the young men knows that if you dare to challenge the border police, you can be easily arrested and taken for a tour to the police office. And you stand the chance of being beaten up on the way. After all, it is your word against theirs. So you keep quiet, and you wait.
After a while you are released, the handcuffs cut, free again. for a while, until tomorrow.

The young men in Jaffa have learned it already, even when you go downstairs to pick up the newspaper, throw out the garbage or pop into a nearby store for some fresh rolls and chocolate milk for the kids, you better take your ID card with you. You 're always a suspect.

Image taken this morning on 142 Yefet street, in Jaffa

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Arab countries also require the carrying of ID.

Apparantly the carrying of ones teudat zehut on ones person is compulsary by law for all Israeli citizens ( Knesset law - Identity Card Carrying and Displaying Act of 1982).

But if some Arabs twits object to carrying ID ,then that's a problem

yudit said...

what are you trying to say?

Do you take your ID with you, when you go down for a second to throw out the garbage or some such?

Also, assuming you are Jewish, do you think they would tie your hands behind your back, because you forgot to take it?