BBC Arabic Special Correspondent
BBCOn the morning of May 9, I used to be a part of an Arab staff from the BBC that left the Syrian capital, Damascus, for the southern province of Deraa. From there we deliberate to go to the border with the heights of Israeli employed Golan.
We needed to get nearer to the Syrian territory that was seized by the Israeli army from December, when the Israeli Prime Minister mentioned he was taking management indefinitely of a demilitarized buffer space and the areas shut following the autumn of the Bashar al-Assad regime.
We have been a staff of seven – myself (a British citizen), two employees of the Iraqi BBC and 4 Syrian – three freelancers and a BBC cameraman.
We have been turning near one of many remark locations of Observer Observer Force (Undof), close to town of Al-Rafeed, when a United Nations official instructed us that the Israeli half had requested for data on our identification and had been knowledgeable that we have been a BBC crew.
Subsequently we led to the north in the direction of Quneirata City, which is situated contained in the buffer space by a 1974 hallway settlement between Syria and Israel, who captured the throat in the course of the 1967 Middle East battle.
About 200 m (660 ft) away from town, an unreserved checkpoint blocked the highway. On the checkpoint aspect we recognized the Merkava tanks, one in every of which flew an Israeli flag.
From a close-by tower, two Israeli troopers have been us – one in every of them by binoculars – and my colleague held his identification doc of the BBC for them to see.
The BBC complained of the Israeli military for what occurred close to my staff, however has not but acquired a solution.
AFPA minute after beginning the taking pictures within the space, a white automotive approached the opposite aspect of the checkpoint.
Four Israeli troopers left the automotive and surrounded us. They pointed their rifles on the top and ordered us to place the digicam on the aspect of the highway. I attempted to clarify that we have been a BBC crew, however issues intensified unexpectedly rapidly.
I used to be in a position to ship a message to my BBC colleagues in London saying that we had been stopped by the Israeli army earlier than our telephones and all of the tools have been confiscated, extra Israeli troopers arrived in a army automobile Humvee and our automotive was fastidiously perquisite.
The troopers escorted us by a barrier within the metropolis of Quneirata and stopped on the crossing level that separates QUNEITRA from the occupied Golan. There, the troopers started to assessment the film whereas we sat in our automotive, whereas one pointed the rifle from the top from meters away. After greater than two hours, one of many troopers requested me to get out of the automotive and communicate on a mobile phone.
I did not know who the particular person was on the road. He talked about Arabic damaged. He requested why we have been taking pictures Israeli army positions. I instructed him I used to be a British BBC journalist and defined to him the character of our work. I got here again into the automotive and the rifle was once more aimed toward my head.
After one other hour of ready, one other automobile arrived. A bunch of safety personnel got here out of the automotive that introduced blindfolded and plastic ties and requested me to exit first.
The major officer, who spoke fluent of the Palestinian Arabic dialect, took me by the hand in the direction of one of many rooms on the crossing level that had beforehand been utilized by the Syrian military. The flooring was scattered with damaged glass and rubbish. He instructed me they might handled me otherwise – no handcuffs, nor blindfolded – in contrast to the remainder of my staff.
I used to be shocked. I requested why they have been doing it after they knew we have been a BBC crew.
He mentioned he needed to assist us get out rapidly and that we needed to respect their directions.
A couple of moments later, one other officer entered and he instructed me to take away all my garments besides my underwear. I initially refused, however they insisted and threatened me, so I obeyed. He additionally inspected me inside my underwear, each in entrance of and again, he searched my garments, then he instructed me to place them again and began to query me, together with private questions on my youngsters and their age.
When they ultimately let me out of the room, I witnessed the horrible scene of the members of my staff, tied and blindfolded. I requested the officer to free them and promised to do it after the interrogations. They have been introduced one after the other in the identical search room and questions.
They returned with their palms nonetheless tied however not blindfolded. The staff interrogation lasted greater than two hours, throughout which all our telephones and laptops and plenty of pictures have been examined – together with private ones – have been deleted.
The officer threatened us with worse penalties if we approached the border once more from the Syrian aspect and mentioned they knew all the pieces about us and that they might hint us if a hidden or non -delimited picture had ever been printed.
About seven hours after our detention – 21:00 had handed – we have been introduced by two autos, one in entrance of our automotive and the opposite behind us, in a rural space of about 2 km (1.2 miles) exterior Quneitra. There, the autos stopped and a bag containing our telephones was launched in the direction of us earlier than the autos have been gone.
Lost in the dead of night with out sign, with out the web and with out an concept the place we have been, we continued to drive till we attain a small village.
A bunch of kids indicated the freeway, warning {that a} fallacious turning level might appeal to Israeli hearth. Ten minutes later, we discovered the highway. Forty -five minutes later, we have been in Damascus.
