“Where is Ahmad?” Israeli military forces demanded after boarding a bus from Ramallah headed toward Jerusalem.

They were looking for me.

I was on a religious pilgrimage to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque, but as a Palestinian dual national with a Palestinian ID, I cannot visit areas of occupied Palestine without a special permit called a Tasree7, which takes several months to obtain. After locating me on the bus, Israeli forces violently removed me; an armed soldier then scanned my face, my passport, and other personal information and told me the information will be “permanently recorded” in their system and used against me if I attempt to make the journey again.