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TIMELINE OF EVENTS

Thursday, March 14:
Around 18:30, a woman from the illegal Israeli settlement Yakir and her three
daughters were injured in a car accident allegedly caused by stones thrown by Palestinians on Route 5 that connects Tel Aviv and the illegal Israeli settlement Ariel (Salfit governorate).

March 14-15:
Responding to settlers’ angry reaction to the accident, Israeli army set up flying checkpoints on Route 5 and at the entrances of some of the Salfit villages near the site of the accident.

Friday, March 15:
In the early morning hours, masked Israeli soldiers raid the villages of Hares and Kifl Hares, arresting 10 adolescents and transporting them to Huwarra military base. The two teenagers from Kifl Hares are released, but one is taken to hospital due to beating by Israeli army.

Saturday, March 16:
The imprisoned boys are separated in pairs, and two of them are transferred to Al-Jalame prison / interrogation center near Haifa (now Israel), which is in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention which states that “persons accused of offenses shall be detained in the occupied country”; the whereabouts of the others are unknown, although apparently some remain in Huwwara military base. The parents of the remaining boys are given no information about their children.

Sunday, March 17:
At approximately 03:00 o’clock in the morning, masked Israeli soldiers, accompanied by 2 agents from the Israeli Security Service (Shin Bet, or Shabak) again raid Hares village, arresting 3 more local boys.

At approximately 09:00, one mother receives a phone call from a member of the Shabak stating that her son was taken to Al-Jalame prison / interrogation center. Subsequently, the boy’s lawyer is denied to visit his client, and his parents are not allowed to be present during his interrogation.

Residents of Hares report that two of the 13 children recently arrested are being held at Huwwara military base, two from Kifl Hares were released, seven are in Al-Jalame prison (also known as Kishon), and the whereabouts of another two are unknown.

Ali Shamlawi is denied a lawyer visit for 4 days. He is held in solitary confinement at Al-Jalame prison for two weeks. In Al-Jalame, the boys’ detention is extended 3 or 4 times, though the exact dates are unknown.

Wednesday, March 20:
The boys’ detention is extended for another 7 days.

Thursday March 21, 2013:
One of the boys is taken to the entrance to the Jalame interrogation centre in Jenin and released. The family is contacted by a lawyer and they drive 3 hours to pick him up. The boy offers the first account of the group’s experience after the arrests.

March 15-21: Outline of First Week of Arrest:
The night of March 15, he is put in an army jeep with five other boys and a large attack dog. Anyone who tries to speak is threatened with violence. The boys are briefly taken to the watchtower at the entrance to Hares and then to the illegal settlement of Revava. The boy is strip-searched and berated in front of seven soldiers.

The boy is taken to al-Jalame interrogation center in Israel, where he is kept for six days. Two days after the move to al-Jalame, the army calls his family to inform them about the whereabouts of their son.

For the first three days of his detention, the boy is kept in solitary confinement with no mattress or blanket. The boy experiences several incidents of torture. There is no window and the lights are kept on continuously. The air conditioner is switched on and off so that the temperature in the room is constantly changing from hot to cold.

Thursday 21 March, the boy is released.

Thursday March 21, 2013:
Hares children return home from school when four army jeeps approach the house. 20-25 Israeli soldiers enter the home and order the residents outside. Three youth, ages 13, 14 and 17 are taken by the army. Two of their uncles are assaulted by the soldiers.The whereabouts of the children is unknown until Sunday, March 24 when the family learns that the boys are being held in Megiddo prison.

As of March 21, five previously arrested boys are released. Two of the boys are released after paying 6,000 NIS [US $1,600] each, and three others released without charges.

Tuesday April 9, 2013:
A court hearing is held for the boys at Salem Military Court, northwest of Jenin. Ali Shamlawi’s family is not informed of the time of the hearing. The family waits for many hours. After an extended search and waiting period, the family misses the hearing. Only the father manages to briefly see his weeping son. Ali says that he has been beaten in jail, a soldier held a hand to his throat, and that he was forced to sign a confession with one hand cuffed to a chair. Ali maintains his innocence. The boys’ detention is extended a further five days.

Tuesday April 9, 2013:
Three more teenage boys are arrested in Hares village. At 02:00 in the morning, approximately 70 Israeli soldiers, along with 4 attack dogs, break open the door of one of the boy’s uncle’s house. They demand to know where the boy lives; subsequently, the soldiers break down the metal gate to the boy’s house. The Israeli commander tells the boy’s father he was being arrested based on information gathered during interrogations at Al-Jalame interrogation center. Later, the father receives a phone call from the army stating that his son is in Megiddo prison and will remain there for 8 days until his court hearing on 17 April. Hours later, all three boys are released without explanation.

Thursday April 11, 2013:
Almost a month since their arrest, none of the five Hares Boys has been formally
charged with a crime.

Sunday, April 14:
Court hearing for the 5 boys at Salem Military Court. Imprisonment extended until April 18.

Thursday, April 18:
Court hearing for the 5 boys at Salem Military Court. Imprisonment extended until April 22.

Monday, April 22:
Court hearing for the 5 boys at Salem Military Court. Imprisonment extended until April 29.

Tuesday April 29, 2013:
The Israeli military prosecutor submits an indictment containing 25 charges of attempted murder for each of the boys. The maximum sentence is life in prison. Imprisonment extended until May 7.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013:
Court hearing for the 5 boys at Salem Military Court. Imprisonment extended until May 24.

Tuesday May 28, 2013:
Court hearing for the 5 boys at Salem Military Court. Imprisonment extended until June 11 for Mohammad Suleiman, Ammar Souf, Mohammed Kleib and Tamer Souf. The mother of Mohammed Suleiman requests June 11 because Mohammed’s sister is getting married on the 13th. Imprisonment extended for Ali Shamlawi until July 13.

Tuesday June 11, 2013:
The Shamlawi family is allowed their first 45 minute visit with their son, Ali, facilitated by the Red Cross.They are not allowed to touch him and are separated by a glass window. They speak with their son through the phone.The other families have not been given permission to see their sons yet. Families with permission from the Israeli authorities are allowed to visit their sons twice per month through the Red Cross.

Tuesday, June 11:
Court hearing for Mohammad Suleiman, Ammar Souf, Mohammed Kleib and Tamer Souf. Imprisonment extended until 25 July.

Thursday June 13, 2013:
Court hearing for Ali Shamlawi at Salem Military Court. Imprisonment extended until July 25. Court hearing is closed to outside observers.

Monday, June 24:
Ali Shamlawi’s family is allowed a second visit with their son. Tamer Souf’s parents are still not allowed to visit, though his 3 younger siblings are given permission. Eighteen people from Hares travel to Megiddo prison, located inside Israel, along with other Palestinians from Qalqilya and Salfit governorates.

Please check back for future updates about court dates, family visits, and the process of the case.