Israel soldiers commandeer Palestinian family’s car to use as ‘shield’

Israeli occupation forces have been captured on film commandeering a Palestinian family car to use as a “shield”, during confrontations in occupied Hebron last month.

The incident on 16 February took place in the context of a settlers’ march in Hebron, occupied West Bank, prompting protests by Palestinians which were suppressed by Israeli forces.

As recorded by Israeli rights group B’Tselem, Palestinian father Hani Al-Ja’bri was driving home from Friday prayers with his four sons aged 4-13 when Israeli soldiers forced him to drive into a street where there were confrontations with Palestinian youth.

The soldiers then demanded he park the car, seized his keys, and forced the man and his four children out of the car so that it could be used “to shield the soldiers”.

Issam Al-Ja’bri, 13, told B’Tselem field researcher Musa Abu Hashhash:

“The soldiers shouted at my father to drive the car onto a-Shalala Street.”

My youngest brother, Suheib, who is four, started crying. He was so scared. I was scared, too, that the stones would hit the car. I was also afraid the soldiers would hurt my dad, who was really stressed and nervous.

He continued: “My dad took us into a grocery store on a-Shalala Street and asked the owner to keep an eye on us until he got back. We stayed in the store for about half an hour. I was worried sick that something would happen to my dad.”

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