UPMRC Ambulance Staff Humiliated and Harassed by Israeli Soldiers

Israeli soldiers humiliated and harassed three staff on UPMRC’s ambulance today in Ramallah, driver Kareem Il-Asmar (age 33), Nida’ Mashal (age 25) and Majedah Abu Ghosh (age 38).

Nida’ gives the following eyewitness account of the incident:

"We were on-duty in the ambulance, delivering food and medications, when we passed by Max’s Supermarket. There were two tanks on the side of the road, and the soldiers told the ambulance to stop in the middle of the street. About eight soldiers approached us, yelling. They took our mobile phones and took the batteries off of them. Then they told the women to go to the side of the road and told Kareem, the driver, to undress. He took off his vest and shirt, but they told him to remove his pants. At that point, Majedah and I turned around to avoid looking at him and causing him embarrassment. Poor Kareem, then what they did to him was really humiliating. They told him to take off his underwear and then to turn around naked. The neighbours in the three buildings nearby were watching the whole incident. I can’t believe it, I don’t know of any other time when they’ve made ambulance staff take off their underwear and remain completely naked in the street. After that, the soldiers told Kareem to get dressed again. Next they wanted to search the ambulance.