Steve Adams
08 February 2001
Steve Adams
Steve Adams Affidavit
February 8, 2001
From December 27 [2000] to February 1 [2001], I lost 37 days of my life. The ordeal that I went through caused my family and me unnecessary and continuous stress and fear. Also, it was extremely inconvenient for my family in the UAE to be without me for this period of time. I was taken from the airport on the first day of Eid (December 27, 2000). No charges were given to me. My family was expecting me back in the UAE to share in the holiday festivities. My family in the UAE and Gaza and I
suffered stress and fear knowing full well how Israelis have treated Palestinians throughout history in the prisons.
I was placed in isolation for more than 10 days. Every day the air conditioning was on 24 hours. The various cells I stayed in
were very cold. The weather in Israel is very cold this time of year. Even when I was taken to various rooms and handcuffed to the chair by my wrists and legs, they put the air conditioner on full blast. When I asked them to turn it down, they left the room and returned after two hours. I yelled for them to turn it off, but no one did so. Sometimes they put me in the hall handcuffed to the chair and with my ankles cuffed to the chair and put the fan blowing on me (this happened three times).
The chair was tied to the floor. Often they would scream and shout and talk as loud as they possibly could as close to my ear as possible. Also, they would suddenly and loudly hit the table to scare me. Bad language was used and they referred to me as the donkey or cow.
I was grilled day after day, especially in the beginning. They would place me in “the chair” as above explained. I was always blindfolded when I was taken from cell to cell or room to room. They would take me to the questioning from 8:30-12 in the morning and from 1-5 or 7 pm at night asking the same questions over and over. They called themselves captains, questioning me in a group, in twos, or one on one. There were eight of them. They called themselves Alex, Shaykey, Madttat, Steve, William, Shaheen, Asse, and Odi.
They told me they were going to question me for at least six months and that if I didn’t talk and tell them everything, 10 years. I had nothing to tell them. The pressure they exerted on me made me almost willing to accept any charge to put an end to the questioning. I started thinking I maybe should make up something and lie about myself just to make them shut up and put an end to the questioning. The feeling could not be worse. I felt like I was in the hell fire.
Always they told me, if you talk, I’ll help you in court.
They made the following threats:
- They would bring all of my family to the prison and put them through the same hell;
- You will stay here 10 years;
- “If you don’t talk, we will enforce charges upon you”;
- “We will use tough means of questioning”;
- “We will make the American government take away your American citizenship.”
- “When we finish with you here, we will send you to America and they will put you in the prison with the blind man who is
accused of bombing the twin towers.”
I saw many collaborators.
One day they gave me a polygraph test and they told me I failed one of six questions.
After three days they gave me the same questions. I knew I was telling the truth. They told me I was lying. I answered them in the same way I answered the first day.
The food was no good. They put cucumbers with sand and jelly all together on the same plate with cut cheese. It was disgusting and I knew there was a good chance of getting sick from the cheese or the jelly that had dirt on it.
I was not allowed to talk to anyone or call anyone, although I asked and was never charged with anything.
I was not allowed to read and when I asked for my Koran back, they said only if you talk to us and tell us everything.
There was no toilet tissue and soap. I had to beg for these items. Also, the toilet was a hole in the ground.
In the cold night, the air conditioning still blowing, I slept sitting up on a mat on the cold floor trying to stay warm. After some
time, I would have to change positions.
One day I was taken to Erez to the military court where I waited all day in the cold on cold benches with a thin jacket they gave me with a zipper that did not work. I never had my own clothes. I had prison clothes. My lawyer appealed the decision that the judge made during my third trip back to the court when they extended my stay for 12 days until they investigated more. When I wanted to use the bathroom, the soldier followed me to the bathroom and refused to let me close the door while standing there observing me. I refused and waited until I returned back to the cell. I had left in the morning that day and returned back to the cell at night. They did not give me any food even though I had asked for it several times and said I was hungry.
During my stay, Andy Miller from the American Embassy in Tel Aviv and Ingrid came to visit me regularly and told me my rights and explained many things I didn’t understand. They helped me a great deal and exchanged messages back and forth
between my family and me. They also kept close contact with my family both in Gaza and in the UAE. I would like to express
my gratitude to them.
Those 37 days were very stressful psychologically and physically. I was very cold during most of those days. Andy Miller sent a letter to Washington on my behalf.
I was seen by my lawyers. They were not able to see me during their first two visits because I was being interrogated. I first saw Andy Miller from the embassy on Sunday, December 31 after they took me from the airport. I was taken from the airport on Wednesday, December 27. I was told by my wife that they knew my exact whereabouts on Friday, December 29. It was only then that the embassy was notified of my whereabouts. The embassy was first notified on Wednesday night (December 27) by my wife in the UAE. They responded quickly to her call. There is no means to telephone Tel Aviv from the UAE. She was given a number in the USA that she had to call each time for them to connect to the UAE. The telephone bill has reached almost $1,000 with more to come in February. I did not receive my pay for the month of January and I presume that I will not be compensated for the days I could not return back to work in February.
As of now I still have my job but the “red tape is not finalized.”
Also, I have been working on my Masters degree and was not able to return to my classes on time. Therefore, I may have to
delay studying for one year due to the lost time.
On February 1, after spending 37 days in hell, I was released without charges. I was not taken back to the airport. I was dropped at the Erez checkpoint. Finally, I was able to talk with my family and was able to wish my son a “Happy 11th
Birthday.” I could not find a flight out with my same airline from Gaza airport until February 7. I switched airlines and was able to depart on Sunday, February 4. My family feared that something might happen to me at Erez checkpoint and also on my way to the airport. We had no idea if the security would again stop me at the airport and take me to prison. Thanks be to God that this time in my life has passed. I hope that my family and I and other innocent people will not have to go through this same ordeal again.
Since I have left the prison, I dream every night about the prison and when I wake up I still think I am in the prison.
