Palestinian baby caught in checkpoint turnstile; face cut, hand fractured

Tuesday August 17, 2010 - A 10-month old baby was injured Monday when he was caught in a turning metal slatted turnstile in an Israeli checkpoint near Bethlehem, where his face was repeatedly slammed into the iron bars until he fainted and fell to the ground. Witnesses said that 10-month old Mu'min Qasrawi's mother was holding him, and about to cross through the turnstile, when the baby's arm was caught between the metal bars, wresting the baby from her arms and jerking him through the turning metal, where his hand was broken and face and body bashed until he became unconscious. According to the baby's mother, Shirin Qasrawi, "As I attempted to get the baby out of the carousel, he was crying and his hand was fractured. The soldiers saw the carousel rotating with the baby inside, but they waited until he fainted and fell to the ground". The turnstile is located in the middle of Bethlehem checkpoint, which is usually very crowded with Palestinian workers who have permits to work in Jerusalem. The checkpoint was constructed in 2005, and consists of a large building, a door through the Israeli Wall, and several holding pens and metal turnstiles, as well as observation decks, metal detectors, interrogation rooms and multiple ID and permit checking stations. The baby was taken to al-Makased Hospital in Jerusalem for treatment.