We pieced together the story bit by bit throughout the day. Here follows an edited version of what I wrote for Middle East International magazine.
Before dawn this morning March 28th, Israeli troops declared a curfew on three villages surrounding Birzeit University campus - Birzeit, Abu Qash and Abu Shekheida - to arrest residents.
Over fifty apartments were raided, doors kicked down (See right, photo © Manon Westenbroek), furnishings broken and belongings scattered on the floor. Around 370 residents were arrested, 280 or 75 percent of them Birzeit University students.
Second year student Mohammad Bal'awi recounted his experience, "Israeli paratroopers broke down my door. They blindfolded me and tied my hands behind me with plastic cord. They started to kick and punch me, beating my genitals, shouting, 'You donkey! You dog!'"
Photo (from left to right): Mohammad Bal'awi and Yusuf Shaheen.
Students were transported in buses to a playground in nearby Jifna village. First year student and Abu Shekheida resident Yusuf Shaheen described the scenes when his bus passed through Birzeit:
"We were shocked. On the streets of Birzeit we saw groups of 15 or 16 students every ten meters. All were blindfolded with their hands tied."
The students were separated from other residents of the area before being taken to an Israeli military base in Beitunia. Evoking memories of the execution of the December 1992 deportation of 415 Palestinians to South Lebanon, soldiers told students, "You will be sent to Marj al-Zahour."
"This made us afraid," reported Shaheen, "In truth, I was very afraid."
Tied up and blindfolded in the base compound for up to thirteen hours, students were systematically interrogated. As they waited, many were abused.
"Every time soldiers walked past us," said Mohammad Bal'awi, "they beat us." Yusuf Shaheen underwent four different and consecutive interrogations by Israeli officers. By evening, all bar about fifteen of the 280 were released.
Israeli news agencies gave various justifications for the arrests. Channel 1 IBA News quoted military sources who claimed the arrested were:
"370 suspected Palestinian militants...people deeply involved in terrorist attacks, financing and supporting people from Hamas and Islamic Jihad and the military wing of the Popular Front."
It was also claimed that "many" were Gazan students. The students were neither radicals nor Gazans. Over half were from the student wing of Arafat's Fateh faction and only 45 were Gazans.
Catherine Grosso, of the Human Rights Action Project at Birzeit University, commented, "Many of the 15-20 students who are still in prison were released from Israeli prisons in the last few months. The Israelis know where they live. This is especially true of the Gazan students, who must register with the Israeli authorities when they arrive in the West Bank. They could be arrested easily anytime."
Israeli Colonel Moshe Ahed (pictured left), very sincerely explained the purpose of it all on TV claiming that the raid targetted "people deeply involved in terrorist attacks, financing and supporting people from Hamas and Islamic Jihad and the military wing of the Popular Front," as the news reported.
Meanwhile, his boss, Illan Biran, a general I think and the overall coordinator of the raid, was due to retire from military service the day after this operation, something that was widely reported along with the story. A last act of glory? Pretty shameful, if you ask me, to finish your last day at work grossly violating human rights to try and get Peres reelected.
Yusef Tahoon, student computer centre employee, recounted that he heard the Hebrew news as he was being put on one of the buses around 5.45am.
"It said that 350-400 had been arrested. Yet, the arrests ended an hour and a half later. This was a media event for the Israeli elections. They were saying, 'We arrested. We put Gazans in prison.' Why? For broadcasting only."
With student volunteers from the computer center imprisoned and the network down, the Birzeit Public Relations Internet mailing list was paralysed.
The university community was outraged. Following the extensive arrests which in one day surpassed all previous YEAR totals, students clashed angrily with Israeli soldiers near Birzeit village.
University president Hanna Nasir asked, "When you wake up one morning to find one-tenth of your students in jail, how are you supposed to have faith in a peace process?"