Israeli soldiers detain busloads of schoolchildren for three hours
Hebron, Ma'an, 23 April 2009
Israeli soldiers attacked the teachers and children returning from a school trip in the West Bank town of Beit Ummar on Thursday afternoon.
Upon returning from a trip to Ramallah and Jericho, Israeli soldiers halted the busses at the entrance to the town, ordering the children and teachers off the buses. The children were held for three hours before international human rights activists stationed in the village intervened. The presence of teachers and the children's families also prevented the army from holding them longer.
Witnesses said the soldiers "abused and intimidated" their detainees.
The head of the Beit Ummar Municipality, Nasri Sabarnah, denounced the incident as "another crime on top of other Israeli crimes carried out against the residents of Beit Ummar."
