We say we don’t want to leave without him. “Can one of our Israeli friends stay here?” we ask. The soldiers refuse, and a gun is raised. It points straight at us – and we begin to back away. “Move on,” we’re told.

Soldiers walk Abuhejleh out of sight around a hill, and as we make our way back to where the road was dug up, Rabbi Dana tells us she’s worried. … We don’t want to leave Abuhejleh, and so the waiting begins. What was promised as a few minutes becomes 30 minutes. Then 45. Then 90. What appears to be the same drone comes back, flying lower, with its camera pointed at us.

Eventually, our IDF contact calls back. He assures us that Abuhejleh is safe, and he strongly advises us to leave the area “for our safety.” So, reluctantly, we do. … We sit down with Abuhejleh to make sure he’s OK and to ask what happened after he was separated from us. He tells us that after he was led away, blindfolded and handcuffed, he was driven to a military office in a nearby settlement where he was mocked and questioned for hours.

“They say it’s our land. It’s not your land. So you must forget it,” he says. Later, when we would ask the IDF why he had been detained, they would provide no comment.

Now that he’s home, he assures us he’s unharmed. And as we’re about to leave, we ask if he plans to go back to see his land, even after today’s incident.

“I will go back. Don’t worry,” he says. “They will arrest, and I will return back – until I will fix my land. It’s our land.”

    • Uranium3006
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      11 year ago

      and you sure speak like it, seeing how you’re not worried genocide joe’s gonna blow it next year.

      • I shouldn’t really be that hard on you. You’re young and idealistic and want to just jump the shark with the presidential election instead of doing the necessary work under it. I hope you figure it out someday though.

        • Uranium3006
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          11 year ago

          dude biden could fucking lose to trump. we were asked to “hold my noses” in 2016 and look how that one turned out. 2020 was a near miss, 2024 isn’t looking so hot and literally any other candidate would get more votes than Biden. why do you love biden so much you’re willing to risk trump in 2024 when literally some random governor (not from cali) would be a safer bet to win?

          • When you a little older I’m sure you’ll figure out this while election strategy thing. Maybe you’ll even look at some past elections too get a feeling of how this all works.

            • Uranium3006
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              01 year ago

              you mean I’ll figure out running shitty cannidate4s your base doesn’t like is a bad strategy? I already know that

              • Well it hasn’t exactly sunk into your strategy yet, give it another 20 years and a few more Republican presidents and you’ll figure it out. I’ll give you a hint: don’t start with presidential elections. It’s the side effect, not the problem.